Macular thickness measurements in healthy Norwegian volunteers: an optical coherence tomography study.
BACKGROUND
Ethnic, intersubject, interoperator and intermachine differences in measured macular thickness seem to exist. Our purpose was to collect normative macular thickness data in Norwegians and to evaluate the association between macular thickness and age, gender, parity, and contraception status.


METHODS
Retinal thickness was measured by Stratus Optical Coherence Tomography in healthy subjects. Mean macular thickness (MMT) was analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA with three dependent regional MMT-variables for interaction with age, gender, parity and oral contraception use. Exploratory correlation with age by the Pearson correlation test, both before and after stratification by gender was performed. Differences in MMT between older and younger subjects, between oral contraception users and non-users, as well as parous and nulliparous women were studied by post-hoc Student's t-tests.


RESULTS
Central MMT in Norwegians was similar to values earlier reported in whites. MMT in central areas of 1 and 2.25 mm in diameter were higher in males than in females. In younger subjects (< or =43 years) differences in MMT between genders were larger than in the mixed age group, whereas in older subjects (>43 years) the small differences did not reach the set significance level. No differences were found in minimal foveolar thickness (MMFT) between the genders in any age group.Mean foveal thickness (1 mm in diameter) was positively associated with age in females (r = 0.28, p = 0.03). MMFT was positively associated with age in all groups and reached significance both in females and in mixed gender group (r = 0.20, p = 0.041 and r = 0.26, p = 0.044 respectively).Mean foveal thickness and MMFT were significantly higher in parous than in nulliparous women, and age-adjusted ANOVA for MMFT revealed a borderline effect of parity.


CONCLUSIONS
Age and gender should be taken into consideration when establishing normal ranges for MMT in younger subjects. The gender difference in retinal thickness in young, but not older adults suggests a gonadal hormonal influence. The possible association between parity and retinal structure and its clinical relevance, should be studied further.
Wexler
Alexandra
A
Department of Ophthalmology, St. Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. wexler@ntnu.no
Sand
Trond
T
Elsås
Tor B
TB
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D055815:Young Adult
D003276:Contraceptives, Oral
Doc Ophthalmol. 2006 Sep;113(2):105-13
17047907
Endocrinology. 2006 May;147(5):2575-82
16484327
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006 Jan;47(1):336-40
16384982
J Natl Cancer Inst. 1994 Feb 2;86(3):183-91
8283490
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007 Aug;48(8):3783-7
17652752
J Glaucoma. 2007 May;16(3):287-92
17438421
Stroke. 2004 Jul;35(7):1548-51
15178828
J Glaucoma. 2008 Jan-Feb;17(1):30-5
18303381
Ophthalmology. 1998 Feb;105(2):360-70
9479300
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2000 May;41(6):1486-91
10798667
Br J Ophthalmol. 2007 Dec;91(12):1686-90
17556429
Arch Ophthalmol. 2006 Feb;124(2):193-8
16476888
J Glaucoma. 2009 Mar;18(3):213-6
19295375
Maturitas. 2005 Nov-Dec;52(3-4):169-80
16257608
Endocr Res. 2001 Aug;27(3):309-16
11678578
Exp Eye Res. 2006 May;82(5):915-20
16380117
Eye (Lond). 2005 Mar;19(3):292-7
15258609
Ophthalmology. 2006 Mar;113(3):373-80
16513455
Cir Cir. 2009 Mar-Apr;77(2):89-93
19534857
Prog Retin Eye Res. 2007 Jan;26(1):57-77
17158086
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007 Oct;48(10):4811-7
17898308
Am J Ophthalmol. 2007 Mar;143(3):484-8
17317392
Retina. 2009 Jul-Aug;29(7):980-7
19584656
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006 Jun;47(6):2351-7
16723444
Microcirculation. 2007 Jan;14(1):63-76
17365662
Ophthalmology. 2009 Feb;116(2):263-9
19019448
Prog Retin Eye Res. 2009 Sep;28(5):348-68
19560552
Arch Ophthalmol. 2005 Oct;123(10):1330-7
16219723
Vision Res. 2008 Nov;48(26):2663-72
18343478
Am J Ophthalmol. 2009 Feb;147(2):260-6
18835473
Eur J Ophthalmol. 2002 Nov-Dec;12(6):482-7
12510717
Exp Eye Res. 2008 Apr;86(4):653-60
18313050
Prog Retin Eye Res. 2001 Nov;20(6):799-821
11587918
BMC Public Health. 2007 Jul 07;7:149
17617919
Eye (Lond). 1998;12 ( Pt 2):256-9
9683950
Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 2006 Oct;84(5):636-41
16965494
Ophthalmology. 2006 Jun;113(6):985-991
16751039
Am J Ophthalmol. 2009 Aug;148(2):266-71
19427616
Curr Eye Res. 2009 Jan;34(1):78-83
19172474
Am J Epidemiol. 2003 May 15;157(10):923-9
12746245
Ophthalmology. 2003 Jan;110(1):177-89
12511364
Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2009 Sep;20(5):369-76
19587596
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 May;51(5):2587-600
20019375
Aust N Z J Ophthalmol. 1997 May;25 Suppl 1:S13-5
9267614
Maturitas. 1999 Sep 24;33(1):7-36
10585171
Nahrung. 1993;37(1):28-34
8464456
Optom Vis Sci. 2007 Oct;84(10):941-5
18049358
Arch Ophthalmol. 2001 Aug;119(8):1135-42
11483079
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007 Jan;48(1):376-82
17197557
Br J Ophthalmol. 2007 Sep;91(9):1143-7
17360735
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1993 Dec;34(13):3609-13
8258519
Retina. 2003 Apr;23(2):177-82
12707596
Menopause. 2009 Mar-Apr;16(2):385-94
19034049
Surv Ophthalmol. 2005 May-Jun;50(3):274-84
15850816
Exp Eye Res. 2010 Jan;90(1):10-6
19799898
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2004 Jun;45(6):1716-24
15161831
Arch Ophthalmol. 2008 Apr;126(4):519-24
18413522
Exp Gerontol. 2003 Aug;38(8):825-31
12915204
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008 Jun;49(6):2668-72
18515595
Am J Ophthalmol. 2010 Mar;149(3):496-502.e1
20042179
Prog Retin Eye Res. 2001 May;20(3):385-414
11286898
J Neuroendocrinol. 2009 Jun;21(6):550-7
19500225
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1993 Nov;34(12):3278-96
8225863
Arch Ophthalmol. 1998 Feb;116(2):150-4
9488265
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2002 Feb;43(2):490-5
11818395
Biochem Int. 1986 Dec;13(6):1051-5
3801044
J Natl Cancer Inst. 1985 Apr;74(4):741-5
3857369
Curr Eye Res. 2008 Aug;33(8):693-9
18696345
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Apr;51(4):1873-9
19933179