June 2015
Volume 56, Issue 7
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2015
The influence of age on the rate of estimated retinal ganglion cell counts in healthy eyes
Joseph Liao; Carolina Gracitelli; Linda M Zangwill; Christopher A Girkin; Jeffrey M Liebmann; Robert N Weinreb; Felipe A Medeiros
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Joseph Liao
    Hamilton Glaucoma Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
    College of Medicine - Phoenix, The University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ
  • Carolina Gracitelli
    Hamilton Glaucoma Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
    Department of Ophthalmology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
  • Linda M Zangwill
    Hamilton Glaucoma Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
  • Christopher A Girkin
    Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
  • Jeffrey M Liebmann
    New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, New York, NY
  • Robert N Weinreb
    Hamilton Glaucoma Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
  • Felipe A Medeiros
    Hamilton Glaucoma Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships Joseph Liao, None; Carolina Gracitelli, None; Linda Zangwill, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. (F), Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. (P), Heidelberg Engineering, GmbH (F), Nidek (F), Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (F), Topcon, Inc. (F); Christopher Girkin, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. (F), EyeSight Foundation of Alabama (F), Heidelberg Engineering, GmbH (F), National Eye Institute (F), Research to Prevent Blindness (F), SOLX (F); Jeffrey Liebmann, Alcon, Inc. (C), Allergan, Inc. (C), Bausch & Lomb, Inc. (C), Bausch & Lomb, Inc. (F), Carl Zeiss Meditech, Inc. (F), Diopysis, Inc. (C), Diopysis, Inc. (F), Heidelberg Engineering, GmbH (C), Heidelberg Engineering, GmbH (F), Merz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (C), Optovue, Inc. (F), Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (F), Reichert, Inc. (F), Sensimed, Inc. (F), Topcon, Inc. (F), Valeant Pharmaceuticals (C); Robert Weinreb, Alcon, Inc. (C), Allergan, Inc. (C), Bausch & Lomb, Inc. (C), Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. (C), Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. (R), Genentech (R), Heidelberg Engineering, Inc. (R), Nidek (R), Novartis (R), Optovue, Inc. (R), Sensimed, Inc. (C), Topcon, Inc. (C), Topcon, Inc. (R); Felipe Medeiros, Alcon, Inc. (F), Alcon, Inc. (R), Allergan, Inc. (C), Allergan, Inc. (F), Allergan, Inc. (R), Bausch & Lomb, Inc. (F), Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. (C), Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. (F), Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. (R), Heidelberg Engineering, Inc. (F), Merck, Inc. (F), National Eye Institute (F), Novartis (C), Reichert, Inc. (F), Reichert, Inc. (R), Sensimed, Inc. (F), Topcon, Inc. (F)
  • Footnotes
    Support None
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2015, Vol.56, 3237. doi:
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      Joseph Liao, Carolina Gracitelli, Linda M Zangwill, Christopher A Girkin, Jeffrey M Liebmann, Robert N Weinreb, Felipe A Medeiros; The influence of age on the rate of estimated retinal ganglion cell counts in healthy eyes. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2015;56(7 ):3237.

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Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate aging effects on estimated retinal ganglion cell (RGC) counts in healthy eyes.

Methods: This was a longitudinal observational cohort study involving 100 eyes of 50 healthy patients recruited from Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study (DIGS) and African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study (ADAGES). Subjects were followed for an average of 4.9 ± 2.6 years. All patients underwent standard automated perimetry (SAP) visual field testing and optical coherence tomography (OCT) on follow-up visits. Estimated RGC counts were obtained by a previously described method using SAP sensitivity thresholds and OCT retinal nerve fiber layer measurements. Linear mixed effects models were used to investigate the relationship between age and rates of change in estimated RGC counts over time.

Results: The mean age at baseline was 49.4 ± 16.2 years, ranging from 22.9 to 90.0 years. At baseline, average estimated RGC count was 1,144,010 ± 222,084 cells. In univariable model, the rate of change in estimated RGC count was -6,880 ± 2,398 cells/year (P = 0.004). Analyses were also performed adjusting for baseline age, gender, race, OCT signal strength and axial length. After adjusting for confounding factors, the rate of estimated RGC loss was -6,276 ± 2,441 cells/year (P = 0.010) in healthy eyes.

Conclusions: There was a significant age-related decline in estimated RGC counts obtained from combining information from structural and functional tests. After accounting for confounding factors, the age-related decline was similar to those obtained in previous histologic studies reported on the literature.

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