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Clinician includes macular pigment density screening in comprehensive exam
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LAS VEGAS – A presenter here at Vision Expo West feels so strongly about macular pigment optical density indicating a patient’s risk for age-related macular degeneration that he includes it as part of his comprehensive eye exam.
“This should be standard of care in every optometric practice, just like measuring blood pressure is standard of care in the general practitioner’s office,” Steven Sopher, OD, told attendees. “You’re measuring a potentially blinding risk factor.”
Two devices, the QuantifEye and the MacuScope, identify diminished macular pigment optical density (MPOD) long before the appearance of drusen or other evidence of AMD via heterochromatic flicker photometry, Sopher said.
“When testing indicates that macular pigment levels are low, you can change diet, lifestyle and prescribe nutritional supplementation to restore the pigment levels to a place where they’re consistent with healthy protection,” he said.
Meso-zeaxanthin, which is located in the fovea, comprises 33% of the total carotenoid content, has the highest blue-blocking capability and is the most potent antioxidant, he said, but it is easily deficient in the typical diet.
“My practice has moved to a more medical model with the use of these technologies,” Sopher said.
The MPOD test is not billable, he said, so he decided to include it in his comprehensive exam for every patient.
“It’s a pre-exam test,” Sopher said. “Our technicians have become so good at it, most patients are screened in about 30 seconds.”
Sopher said he discusses with patients how the macular pigment layer protects the eye from the blue light that comes from the sun, computer screens, smart phones and fluorescent lighting. “When that layer is deficient, blue light penetrates to the retinal pigment epithelium layer, and drusen forms,” he said. “We tell patients it’s important to have internal [through supplementation] and external protection in the form of blue-blocking and UV-blocking polarized sunglasses.”
The symposium was sponsored by Marco.
Disclosure: Sopher has no relevant financial interests to disclose.