Framingham Eye Study (FES)

The purpose of the ocular examination of Framingham Eye Study subjects is to evaluate the ocular characteristics of examinees such as senile cataract and age-related macular disease, glaucoma and retinopathy. During the examination, the examiner will assess each eye for the presence, type, severity, etc. of such disorders. For senile cataract the examiner's assessment will stand alone, but for age-related macular disease that assessment will be substantiated for comparison (in the analysis stage of the study) with the grading of macular photographs for the presence of lesions associated with age-related macular degeneration.

Note about the eye study documentation: The data and documentation for the eye study variables were originally generated in the 1970's and 1980's. In examining the data sets and the documentation, it was found that there was either documentation for variables that were not included in the data set or there was documentation which made reference to coding that was not completely described. The Framingham Heart Study is providing dbGAP with all the material available to date. Should further information be located in the future, Framingham will pass it on to dbGAP.

In 1948, researchers recruited men and women from the town of Framingham, Massachusetts, beginning the first round of extensive physical examinations and lifestyle interviews that would later be analyzed for common patterns related to CVD development.

Initially, the Framingham Heart Study enrolled 5209 men and women from the Framingham area who were between the ages of 28 and 62 years. Beginning in 1971, the Framingham Heart Study enrolled 5,124 men and women, who were either offspring of the original cohort or spouses of those offspring. In 2002, 4095 third generation participants (men and women) were enrolled.

During each clinic exam cycle, the participants undergo a detailed examination including physical examination, medical history, laboratory testing, and electrocardiogram. Over the years, other tests (that may not be performed at every exam cycle) have included pulmonary function, lifestyle, physical function, cognitive function questionnaires, and various noninvasive cardiovascular tests including echocardiograms. The content of each exam cycle differs for Original, Offspring and Generation 3 cohorts and can be found in the Exam Cycle Protocol Manuals.

• Study Weblinks:
  • The Framingham Heart Study
• Study Design:
  • Prospective Longitudinal Cohort
• Study Type:
  • Longitudinal
• Total number of consented subjects: 4869
• Subject Sample Telemetry Report (SSTR)

An eye study was done on the original cohort group in 1973-1975. The approximately 1500 surviving members of the original cohort who received the 1973 - 1975 Framingham Eye Study (FES) eye examination were re-examined for age-related lens and macular changes in the late 1980's. The offspring cohort was also examined along with original cohort in the late 1980's. The criteria for selecting eye study participants is described in the FES monograph contained in the eye study documentation.

The Original cohort began Exam 1 in 1948 (9/1948 - 4/1953) and has continued with biennial examinations to the present.

The Offspring cohort began Exam 1 in 1971 (8/1971 - 9/1975) and has on average been examined every 3 to 4 years since enrollment. However, there was an eight year window between exam 1 and exam 2. Exam 7 was performed from 9/1998 - 10/2001.

The Generation 3 cohort Exam 1 was performed 4/2002 - 7/2005.

Examinations continue to be performed.

• Primary Phenotype: Cardiovascular System
• Macular Degeneration
• Cataract
• Glaucoma
• Retinal Diseases

• Principal Investigator
  • Theodore Colton, ScD. Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
• Co-Investigators
  • Lawrence I. Rand, MD. Joslin Clinic, Boston, MA, USA (~ late 1980's).
  • Mark Roseman, OD. Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA, USA (~late 1980's).
• Funding Source
  • National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.