Abstract
BackgroundMacular pigment (MP) has been related to the occurrence of age related macular degeneration (AMD). We investigated prospectively in eyes of elderly individuals how magnitude and spatial distribution of MP had changed after 4 years.MethodsThe study included 380 eyes from 237 participants of the Münster Ageing and Retina Study cohort which were free of advanced stages of AMD. MP optical density (MPOD) was measured in density units (D.U.) at eccentricities of 0.25°, 0.5°, 1.0° and 2.0° from the fovea using dual-wavelength autofluorescence; ring-like MP distributions were identified from MP density profiles. Changes were assessed with mixed linear models.ResultsThe study participants’ mean age at baseline was 70.5 years. Early AMD was present in 150 study eyes (39.5 %) and a ring-like distribution of MPOD was found in 87 study eyes (22.9 %). After a median follow-up time of 3.96 years, the MPOD averaged over all eyes was slightly raised at the central fovea (from 0.658 to 0.670 D.U. (relative change +1.8 %), p = 0.08) and most markedly at 2.0° (from 0.157 to 0.172 D.U. (+9.5 %), p < 0.001). Multivariate analyses, adjusting for sex, body mass and carotenoid supplement intake, revealed that MPOD increments, at any distance from the fovea, were slightly less pronounced in older eyes. Serum concentrations of lutein at follow-up, presumably reflecting recent intake of antioxidant supplements, raised MPOD levels significantly at 1.0° and 2.0° (both p < 0.01) but not in the central fovea. Early AMD at baseline and ring-like MPOD distribution did not significantly impact on MPOD changes over time. A ring-like spatial distribution of MPOD persisted in over 80 % of the affected eyes.ConclusionsOverall, the magnitude and spatial arrangement of MPOD was remarkably stable over time in elderly eyes. Significant MPOD rises in perifoveal regions probably indicate effects of lutein containing supplements. The persistence of ring-like MPOD distributions over time seems to suggest their determination by anatomical structures.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40942-016-0039-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Macular pigment (MP) has been related to the occurrence of age related macular degeneration (AMD)
These results are compatible with the hypothesis that MP is stored in retinal tissue structures that are characteristic of an individual and that determine the spatial patterns of MP optical density (MPOD) distribution [11]: supplementation can increase MPOD levels only where such storage facilities were pre-existing
It has been hypothesized that low levels or loss of MP may be causal to the dysfunction or destruction of Müller cells. The latter may be associated with the ring-like MPOD distribution that is found in a certain proportion of retinae [11]. To further elucidate these relationships, we investigated whether the contents and the distribution patterns of MP change over time with the ageing of elderly individuals [16]
Summary
Macular pigment (MP) has been related to the occurrence of age related macular degeneration (AMD). Recent research has shown that the occurrence and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of legal blindness among the elderly population in industrialized countries [1], is mainly influenced by demographic, environmental and genetic factors [2–4]. Supplementation did not produce an increase in areas where MPOD had been lacking at baseline These results are compatible with the hypothesis that MP is stored in retinal tissue structures that are characteristic of an individual and that determine the spatial patterns of MPOD distribution [11]: supplementation can increase MPOD levels only where such storage facilities were pre-existing. According to Tariq et al [13] such ring-like patterns are highly inheritable and constant in individuals These results support the idea that genetically determined structural components are responsible for the storability and availability of MP in the macula and that successful supplementation with lutein or zeaxanthin always depends on macular microanatomy. Our recent study using optical coherence tomography supports such a concept [11]
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