Age and sex distribution of some retinal macular diseases: senile and presenile macular degeneration and central serous retinitis.

The age and sex distribution of senile macular degeneration (SMD) was investigated at the Low Vision Clinic in Stockholm. SMD increased with age and was found to be more common among women than men. This difference was not due to the fact that women live longer than men or related to women consulting ophthalmologists more often than men because of visual handicap. The age and sex distribution of presenile macular degeneration ( PSMD ) and central serous retinitis (CSR) was investigated at the Department of Ophthalmology of Falun Hospital. Also PSMD increased with age and was found to be more common among women than men, even if the sex difference was not as clear as for SMD. CSR was found to be more frequent at younger ages and, contrary to SMD and PSMD , more common among men. The reasons for these sex differences in frequencies of SMD, PSMD and CSR are not known.