The evaluation of iris details, particularly the presence of iris freckles, should be used to assess the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the researchers of a recent case-control study published in Int J Retina Vitreous.

Iris freckles are discrete, superficial, atypical colonies of melanocytes that are located on the surface of the iris and do not involve the iris stroma, according to the study. 

Specifically, the study shows that the average number of iris freckles in AMD patients was 3.97 ± 3.07, while the number of iris freckles in the healthy control group was 3.06 ± 2.55. (p = 0.001).

The study’s researchers arrived at these findings by obtaining high-resolution mobile phone camera photographs of 300 eyes of 300 AMD patients and 300 eyes of 300 healthy volunteers. The researchers then classified the photographs according to the Descriptive Iris Color Classification Scale (see above). The average age of the AMD group and control group was 73.05 ± 6.93, and 73.43 ± 5.72. (p = 0.124), respectively.

The aim of the study was to determine the potential relationship between AMD and iris freckles, as visible and ultraviolet light are risk factors for AMD and exposure to sunlight causes iris freckles.

For the full study, visit https://journalretinavitreous.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40942-024-00575-z.