Changes in the choriocapillaris associated with senile macular degeneration.

The choroids of 107 postmortem aged eyes were used in this study. Twenty-six eyes were from patients with a clinical history of senile macular degeneration. Five eyes had early or questionable evidence of this condition. The remaining 76 eyes were from normal-aged patients. The choroids were processed by the trypsin digestion technique of Kuwabara and Cogan, as modified by Friedman, Smith and Kuwabara. This study was limited to the choriocapillaris. The most important changes noted in eyes with senile macular degeneration were: (1) thickening and irregular shape of the intercapillary septa; (2) narrowing of the lumen of the capillaries; (3) diminution or loss of cellularity of the capillaries; and (4) basophila of the macular area. The possible effects of these changes on the transport of oxygen and metabolites from the choriocapillaris to the outer layers of the retina are discussed.