title: Macular pigment optical density in young Chinese adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine the macular pigment optical density (MPOD) in a group of Chinese subjects using a simple customized light emitting diode-based device.
  
  
  METHODS
  Heterochromatic flicker photometry was used in this study. With a 1 degrees diameter circular test stimulus, MPOD was estimated by comparing the relative sensitivities to a blue light, against a green reference, between foveal and parafoveal 4 degrees temporal locations. Fixed alternating frequencies were used. Repeatability was determined on a small group of subjects. A further group of 67 young healthy subjects provided data for MPOD norms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All results were corrected to the common MPOD reference wavelength of 460 nm. The group-averaged MPOD was 0.48 (S.D. 0.23). We found no gender difference in MPOD. The coefficient of variability was 7.2-8.0% and the coefficient of repeatability was 0.12.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MPOD of Chinese subjects did not differ greatly from the reported MPOD in white subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Optometry and Radiography, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Churk-Yan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Hoi-Shan
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yip
authors.forename: Ming-Yeung
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: Wai-Lam
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Yau
authors.forename: Maurice K H
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Yap
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D010783:Photometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012168:Retinal Pigments / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012168:Retinal Pigments