Macular thickness variations with sex, age, and axial length in healthy subjects: a spectral domain-optical coherence tomography study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the relationship between macular retinal thickness and volume and age, sex, and refractive error/axial length with spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).


METHODS
One randomly selected eye of 198 consecutive ophthalmically normal subjects (104 men, 94 women) between July 2008 and January 2009, with corrected visual acuities better than 20/30 were included in this cross-sectional study. Complete ophthalmic examination, axial length measurement with a laser interferometer, and macular cube 512 x 128 scan by SD-OCT were performed.


RESULTS
The mean age was 55.6 +/- 16.4 years (range, 17-83), average refractive error was -2.17 +/- 4.82 (range, -23.50-3.75), and average axial length was 24.73 +/- 1.98 mm (range, 21.52-32.51). The central subfield thickness, average inner macular thickness, and overall macular volume were significantly lower in the female subjects (partial correlation: P = 0.009, P = 0.027, and P = 0.042, respectively). As age increased, average inner macular thickness, average outer macular thickness, overall average macular thickness, and macular volume decreased significantly (partial correlation: P = 0.002, P = 0.002, P = 0.002, and P = 0.000, respectively). Refractive error had no significant influence in partial correlation analysis. Axial length correlated negatively with average outer macular thickness, overall average macular thickness, and macular volume (partial correlation: P = 0.006, P = 0.044, and P = 0.003, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
In normal subjects, SD-OCT showed that retinal thickness is related to age, sex, and axial length, with regional variations.
Song
Won Kyung
WK
Department of Ophthalmology, Institute of Vision Research, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Lee
Sung Chul
SC
Lee
Eun Suk
ES
Kim
Chan Yun
CY
Kim
Sung Soo
SS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005123:Eye / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000473:pathology; D012737:Sex Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D055815:Young Adult