Macular Thickness Changes with Age in Normal Subjects Measured by Optical Coherence Tomography

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the retinal thickness changes of the macula with age in normal subjects using optical coherence tomography. METHODS: Included were 56 patients with no systemic disease and no ophthalmoscopic evidence of retinopathy and who had a best corrected visual acuity of 1.0 or better. The measurement of the retinal thickness obtained by OCT III was analyzed using the computerized topographic mapping protocol (6 mm diameter map) according to age, refraction error, sex and macular region. We analyzed how they correlated to each other. RESULTS: The mean standard deviations of foveal thickness and retinal thickness within 1 mm diameter of the center were 182 +/- 26 micro meter and 208 +/- 18 micro meter in normal eyes, respectively. There was no statistically significant change with age (p>0.01). But the measurements at 3 and 6 mm from the fovea showed reduced retinal thickness with age (p0.01). There was a significant difference between the nasal quadrant and temporal quadrant within the 3 mm diameter of the center, and there was also a significant difference between the superior quadrant and inferior quadrant, and between the nasal quadrant and temporal quadrant within the 6 mm diameter of the center (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Retinal thickness around the fovea as measured by OCT showed a decrease with age, although the fovea and the region within 1mm diameter of the center showed no statistical associations with age.