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Purpose To examine the prevalence of myopic retinopathy and its risk factors in a general Japanese population. Design Population-based, cross-sectional study. Participants In 2005, a total of 1969 Hisayama residents aged ≥40 years consented to participate in this study. Of these, 1892 subjects with adequate data were enrolled. Methods Each participant underwent comprehensive physical and eye examinations that included measurements of refractive error, axial lengths, and color fundus photography. Myopic retinopathy was defined as the presence of diffuse chorioretinal atrophy, patchy chorioretinal atrophy, lacquer cracks, or macular atrophy. Main Outcome Measures Prevalence of myopic retinopathy. Results Thirty-three participants had myopic retinopathy and the prevalence was 1.7% (2.2% in women and 1.2% in men). The prevalence of myopic retinopathy increased significantly with advancing age. Diffuse chorioretinal atrophy, patchy chorioretinal atrophy, lacquer cracks, and macular atrophy were present in 1.7%, 0.4%, 0.2%, and 0.4% of subjects, respectively. In multivariate analysis, myopic retinopathy was significantly associated with older age (per 1 year: odds ratio [OR], 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–1.18), female gender (OR, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.09–9.92), and longer axial length (per 1 mm: OR, 4.20; 95% CI, 3.03–5.83). Conclusions The prevalence of myopic retinopathy was 1.7% in a general Japanese population. Older age, female gender, and longer axial length were significant risk factors for myopic retinopathy. Financial Disclosure(s) The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article.

Purpose To assess the association between serum total bilirubin levels and diabetic retinopathy prevalence in participants of the Hisayama Study who had diabetes and impaired glucose metabolism. Design Population-based, cross-sectional study. Participants Of 3119 participants of the Hisayama Study Eye Examinations in 2007, Japan, 1672 aged ≥40 years with either diabetes or impaired glucose metabolism (defined by a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test) were enrolled in the present study. Methods Diabetic retinopathy was assessed via ophthalmic examination after pupil dilatation. The presence and the severity of diabetic retinopathy were determined by grading of color fundus photographs using the modified Airlie House classification system. Association of diabetic retinopathy with serum bilirubin quartiles was assessed using logistic regression model adjusting for age and known risk factors for diabetic retinopathy. Main Outcome Measures Prevalent diabetic retinopathy. Results Diabetic retinopathy was present in 70 of 1672 (4.2%) participants. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in persons with the highest bilirubin quartile (≥0.9 mg/dL) was 2.7%, compared with the prevalence of 3.4%, 5.1%, and 5.1% in those with the first ( Conclusions Elevated serum bilirubin levels may be protective against diabetic retinopathy among persons with either diabetes or impaired glucose metabolism, independent of known risk factors for diabetic retinopathy. Financial Disclosure(s) The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article.

Purpose To estimate the 9-year incidence and risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a general Japanese population. Design Population-based, cohort study. Participants In 1998, a total of 1775 Hisayama residents aged ≥40 years underwent a baseline eye examination. Of those, 1401 subjects (78.9%) took part in the follow-up eye examination in 2007 and were enrolled in the present study. Methods At both time points, the characteristics of AMD were determined by grading color fundus photographs using the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System. Main Outcome Measures Incident early and late AMD. Results The age-standardized, 9-year cumulative incidence of early AMD was 10.0%, and that of late AMD was 1.4%. Men were found to have a significantly higher incidence of late AMD than women (age-adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25–7.09). The incidence of both early and late AMD increased significantly with age. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that older age (per 1 year; OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.05–1.16), smoking habits (OR, 3.98; 95% CI, 1.07–14.7), and higher circulating white blood cell (WBC) count (per 1000 cells/mm 3 ) (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.07–1.79) were significantly associated with the development of late AMD. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the 9-year incidences of late AMD are lower among the Japanese than among white people in Western countries, and it is higher than among black people. Smoking habits and higher circulating WBC count are significant risk factors for the development of late AMD in the Japanese. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

Selective growth of AlGaInAs/InP on masked substrate is investigated by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Tetrabromocarbon (CBr 4 ) is introduced into the reactor during epitaxial growth as etching gas. The etching action of CBr 4 on AlGaInAs grown on planar substrate only affects In atoms, and has little influence on Al and Ga. Selective area growth of AlGaInAs multi-quantum wells (MQWs) on masked substrate is carried out by introducing CBr 4 during growth of Al-containing layers except wells. Polycrystals on the dielectric mask decrease with CBr 4 flow rate and complete selectivity is achieved with CBr 4 flow rate of 3.2 μmol/min when the growth temperature and the growth rate are 680°C and 30 nm/min, respectively, which correspond to our optimum condition for the growth of AlGaInAs. From the results of photoluminescence and broad-type laser diode of MQW, the introduction of CBr 4 does not seem to degrade the crystallinity of AlGaInAs/InP.