Sparing of the Fovea in Geographic Atrophy Progression

Dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common cause for severe visual loss in the elderly and represents an unmet need. So far no treatment is available for geographic atrophy (GA), which represents the advanced dry form characterized by expanding areas of outer retinal atrophy with corresponding absolute scotoma. The foveal retina may be spared until late in the course of the disease, a phenomenon termed "foveal sparing". However, the disease process ultimately also involves the central retina leading to irreversible loss of central vision. While the natural history of eyes with GA has been extensively studied with regard to the entire atrophic area, morphology-function analyses for "foveal sparing" GA in particular are still missing. Such data are needed for various purposes including the future use in interventional pharmacological trials aiming to slow the progression of GA and to preserve the foveal retina. In this study, different imaging modalities for accurate detection and quantification of preserved foveal retinal areas will be assessed.