Macular pigment density and aging, assessed in the normal elderly and those with cataracts and age-related macular degeneration

Purpose

Increasing evidence has linked retinal lutein and zeaxanthin (termed macular pigment, MP) to the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Currently, however, studies differ regarding the question of whether MP declines with age or age has an effect in patient populations being assessed. This study assessed MP across the lifespan with an emphasis on assessing MP in a cross-section of elderly including those with lenticular or age-related macular degeneration, or both.

Design

Prospective, observational, cross-sectional study.

Methods

setting: Institution. study population: Cross-sectional study of normal, cataractous, and AMD subjects tested in Indianapolis, Indiana, including 390 subjects, 22 with cataracts and 59 with age-related macular degeneration. observational procedure: MP density was measured with a one-degree diameter test field at 460 nm using a psychophysical method based on heterochromatic flicker photometry. main outcome measures: MP optical density.

Results

MP does not appear to change as a function of age (r = +.04) when examining subjects across the lifespan (from 18–88 years). There was a slight tendency (slope = −.0027, r = −.11) for MP to decline when only the elderly subjects were considered, but this trend was not significant (P < .12) for any of the groups considered (normal, cataractous, or AMD).

Conclusions

MP does not change significantly with age, even when elderly subjects with cataracts and AMD are considered. Using heterochromic flicker photometry, elderly subjects display a full range of MP density that is similar to young subjects.