title: Effect of age and other factors on macular pigment optical density measured with resonance Raman spectroscopy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Macular pigment is a defense system against phototoxic damage of the retina by visible light. It is still under debate whether or not macular pigment optical density (MPOD) levels decline with age, because the age effect varied depending on the technique used to measure MPOD levels. Resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) is an objective method to measure MPOD, and studies using RRS showed a drastic age-related decline of MPOD levels; however, since RRS measurements are influenced by cataracts, it has been argued that the age-related decline of RRS measurements is an artifact from lens changes in aged subjects. In the present study, MPOD levels were measured with RRS in pseudophakic eyes, and the effects of age and other factors on MPOD levels were investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects included 144 patients with no fundus disorders who received cataract surgery with untinted intraocular lens implantation. MPOD levels were measured in 144 eyes using integral RRS 1 day post surgery. Factors potentially associated with MPOD levels such as age, gender, smoking habits, body mass index, diabetes, glaucoma, axial length, pupil diameter, spherical equivalent refractive error, and foveal thickness were examined by multiple regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The macular pigment RRS levels ranged from 776 to 11,815 Raman counts, with an average level of 4,375 ± 1,917 (standard deviation [SD]) Raman counts. Multiple regression analysis revealed that age and axial length were significantly correlated with low MPOD values (regression coefficient of -59 for age and -404 for axial length, respectively). No significant correlations were observed for other factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After removing the potentially confounding effect of age-related lens yellowing on the RRS measurements, age remained a significant patient parameter for lowered MPOD levels. MPOD levels were found to decline by more than 10 % each decade. Axial length was also a negative predictor of MPOD levels. Since the present study included only patients aged 50 years and older, the effects of age and other factors on MPOD levels for younger subjects remain unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, Sumiyoshi 2-12-12, Naka-ku, Hamamatus City, Sizuoka, 430-8558, Japan, obana@sis.seirei.or.jp.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Obana
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gohto
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanito
authors.forename: Shigetoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gellermann
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohira
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D014975:Lutein / Q000378:metabolism*; D065348:Macular Pigment / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019591:Pseudophakia / Q000378:metabolism*; D012907:Smoking / Q000378:metabolism; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D065146:Zeaxanthins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D065348:Macular Pigment; D065146:Zeaxanthins; D014975:Lutein