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Study suggests link between macular pigment optical density and glaucoma
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Macular pigment optical density was markedly lower in patients with glaucoma than in healthy controls, according to a study.
The study included 40 patients with open-angle glaucoma and 54 healthy individuals without ocular disease. Mean age was 69 years in the glaucoma group and 66 years in the control group.
Investigators examined biomicroscopy, fundoscopy, Goldmann tonometry and visual fields and collected data on age, gender, smoking history, presence of glare and years diagnosed with glaucoma. Heterochromatic flicker photometry was used to gauge macular pigment optical density at 0.5° of retinal eccentricity.
Median macular pigment optical density was 0.23 in patients with glaucoma and 0.36 in controls. The between-group difference was statistically significant (P = .031); however, the relationship between macular pigment optical density and disease severity was insignificant.
Further research is needed to confirm and explain the relationship between reduced macular pigment optical density and glaucoma, the authors said.
Disclosure: The study authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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