Despite their rarity, inherited retinal diseases and related comorbidities can be categorized using the American Academy of Ophthalmology Intelligent Research In Sight (IRIS) Registry due to their large size, according to findings presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists 41st Annual Meeting. Ahmad Al-Moujahed, MD, PhD, MPH, presented results from a retrospective cohort analysis of patients with a new IRD diagnosis (N=227,011), focusing on retinitis pigmentosa (RP), choroideremia, and color blindness. Diseases of the neurosensory retina and the retinal pigment epithelium were most common (85%), followed by choroidal diseases (13%) and color blindness (2%). RP was identified in 38,179 patients; 540 patients had choroideremia, and 4,563 had color blindness. Most patients with RP (35%) and choroideremia (32%) were aged 45-64, while most patients with color blindness (33%) were aged 0-17. Best-corrected visual acuity at diagnosis was worst with choroideremia, and patients with choroideremia were more likely to be legally blind compared with those with RP or color blindness. Cataract diagnosis and surgery were seen more often in RP and choroideremia, as was rhegmatogenous retinal detachment diagnosis or repair.
