ARMS2 variants may predict the 3-year outcome of photodynamic therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: To determine the association of age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 ( ARMS2 ) gene polymorphisms with the 3-year outcomes of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

METHODS: The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at rs10490924 in the ARMS2 gene of 65 patients with wet AMD who underwent PDT was genotyped using the TaqMan assay. The clinical characteristics and the outcomes of PDT were compared among the three genotypes at rs10490924. A multivariate regression analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of the clinical cofactors on the association of rs10490924 with the visual outcome at 36 months after the first PDT.

RESULTS: A significant difference was found among the genotypes in the age and the baseline lesion size. The patients with the GG genotype showed a significant improvement in vision, and the patients with the TT genotype showed a significant worsening of vision at all time points measured after the initial PDT. In the multivariate regression analysis, the number of the G allele at rs10490924 was associated with a significantly greater improvement in the baseline best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 36 months after the first PDT.

CONCLUSIONS: ARMS2 variants are likely associated with the 3-year outcomes of PDT in patients with wet AMD.