Evaluation of the Clinical Age-Related Maculopathy Staging System
Presented at: American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting, October 22, 2000; Dallas, Texas.
Received 1 April 2005; accepted 1 November 2005.
Refers to erratum:
Evaluation of the Clinical Age-Related Maculopathy Staging System
Ophthalmology
June 2006 (Vol. 113, Issue 6, Page 1056) Full Text |
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Objective
To evaluate a clinical classification system, the Clinical Age-Related Maculopathy Staging (CARMS) system, for age-related maculopathy (ARM) using a simple grading scale designed for clinical practice and clinical research protocols.
Participants
Two hundred forty-six male and female participants with various stages of ARM who were enrolled during the first 4 years of a longitudinal study were selected for the evaluation of the CARMS system.
Design
Cross-sectional comparison study.
Methods
The CARMS system divides patients into 5 mutually exclusive categories based on slit-lamp assessment of drusen, retinal pigment epithelial irregularities, geographic atrophy, retinal pigment epithelial detachment, and choroidal neovascularization. Fundus photographs and clinical data of the subjects were used to evaluate this scale. Clinical grades assigned for 492 eyes of 246 patients with varying stages of ARM were compared with grades obtained from photographs evaluated by a reading center. To compare grades obtained from an inexperienced grader with those of an experienced grader, observations based on photographs from 50 randomly selected patients were reviewed. To quantify intraobserver agreement for photographic grades, observations from one observer were compared with those made at a later date by the same observer.
Main Outcome Measures
Reliability and validity of the CARMS system in grading various stages of ARM based on clinical examination and photography.
Results
The degree of overall agreement between the clinically assigned grade and photographic assessment for 492 eyes was substantial (exact overall agreement, 75%; unweighted κ, 0.63; weighted κ, 0.78). For advanced age-related macular degeneration, the sensitivity was 0.83, and specificity was 0.97. When assessing photographic grades, the degree of agreement between an inexperienced and an experienced grader was very high (unweighted κ, 0.79; weighted κ, 0.86), and the degree of intraobserver agreement was excellent (unweighted κ, 0.92; weighted κ, 0.97).
Conclusions
The CARMS system, a 5-level clinical scale, is a valid and reliable staging system that can be used in both clinical practice and in clinical research protocols involving patients with all stages of ARM.
1Epidemiology Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
2Departments of Ophthalmology and Epidemiology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada
3Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale University Medical Center, New Haven, Connecticut
Correspondence to Johanna M. Seddon, MD, Director, Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114.
Manuscript no. 2005-287.
Supported in part by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Owings Mills, Maryland, and Epidemiology Unit Research Fund, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts.
ABSTRACT