Normative Data for Macular Thickness by High-Definition Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (Spectralis)

• Published in: American journal of ophthalmology Vol. 148; no. 2; pp. 266 - 271
• Main Authors: Grover, Sandeep, Murthy, Ravi K, Brar, Vikram S, Chalam, Kakarla V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-08-2009; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weights and Measures; Diabetes; Diabetic retinopathy; Female; Fourier Analysis; Humans; Intraocular Pressure - physiology; Macula Lutea - anatomy & histology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Ophthalmology; Prospective Studies; Reference Values; Standard deviation; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods; Visual Acuity - physiology; Young Adult; California; Thickness; High; Definition; Macula; Ophthalmology; Optical coherence tomography
• ISSN: 0002-9394; 1879-1891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2009.03.006

Purpose To establish normative data for the macular thickness by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in subjects with no known retinal disease. Design Prospective, observational study in an academic institutional setting. Methods Fifty subjects (age range, 20 to 84 years) with no known retinal disease, best-corrected visual acuity 20/20, and normal intraocular pressure were enrolled. The subjects were divided into 3 age groups: group 1 included subjects 20 to 40 years of age; group 2 included subjects 41 to 60 years of age; and group 3 included subjects 61 years of age and older. All subjects underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination to rule out any retinal diseases or glaucoma. All the OCT scans were performed by a single operator, and data obtained from the right eyes were analyzed by default, unless the right eye did not meet the inclusion criteria, and then data from left eyes were analyzed (n = 4). Central point thickness (CPT) and retinal thickness (RT) in 9 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) subfields, including central subfield (CSF), were analyzed. Statistical analyses were carried out using the analysis of variance. Results Overall, the mean CPT was 227.3 ± 23.2 μm, and mean CSF was 270.2 ± 22.5 μm. Among the ETDRS subfields, the outer nasal quadrant had the maximum thickness (mean ± standard deviation, 339.5 ± 16.9 μm). The RT did not show significant difference with age ( P = .62) or with gender ( P = .1). However, there was a suggestion of significant difference in RT of Black subjects as compared with White subjects ( P = .007) in the present study. Conclusions Normative values for macular thickness in otherwise healthy eyes were measured to be 227.3 μm (CPT) and 270.2 μm (CSF) using commercially available Spectralis SD-OCT. Based on the data, the present study proposes the guidelines for normal CSF thickness to be 315 μm for future studies using macular thickness measurements with Spectralis SD-OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Vista, California, USA).