Age-related topographical changes in the normal human optic nerve head measured by scanning laser tomography.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to investigate the effects of advanced aging on the optic nerve head (ONH) structure and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in the eldest segment of our population.


METHODS
Twenty-seven healthy elderly subjects between 75 and 88 years of age (average, 80.1 +/- 0.83 years) and 30 healthy younger subjects between 20 and 32 years of age (average, 23.1 +/- 0.50 years) were recruited for a cross-sectional comparison between ONH morphology and RNFL thickness as measured by scanning laser tomography. The ONH disc, cup, and rim areas; cup-to-disc ratio; and the mean thickness of the RNFL were quantified.


RESULTS
The cup and disc areas as well as the cup-to-disc area ratio increased with age, whereas the RNFL thickness decreased during the course of normal senescence.


CONCLUSIONS
Any diagnoses of ocular pathology in the elderly must differentiate the effects of normal aging on the ONH topography and RNFL thickness. To that effect, the present study provides a clinical profile of ocular structures that extend into the oldest geriatric age group.
Kergoat
H
H
School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Québec, Canada. helene.kergoat@umontreal.ca
Kergoat
M J
MJ
Justino
L
L
Lovasik
J V
JV
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D009412:Nerve Fibers; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000166:cytology; D014054:Tomography / Q000379:methods