Is basal laminar deposit unique for age-related macular degeneration?

T. L. van der Schaft, W. C. de Bruijn, C. M. Mooy, D. A. Ketelaars and P. T. de Jong
Institute of Ophthalmology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The ultrastructural nature and distribution of basal laminar deposit, considered to be a precursor of age-related macular degeneration, were studied in 42 human maculae. Basal laminar deposit was found from age 19 years on, not only between the retinal pigment epithelial cells and their basement membrane but also more often on the choriocapillary side of Bruch's membrane. No direct relationship was found with other aging changes, such as calcifications in Bruch's membrane, accumulation of lipofuscin granules, or drusen in the macular area. Material similar to basal laminar deposit can be found in the trabecular system, in the cornea, and also in many other organs and tissues. On a structural and morphometrical basis, we think that basal laminar deposit is similar to fibrous long-spacing collagen and thus does not seem to be a purely ocular abnormality.

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