Abstract
Purpose: :
To determine age-related effects on visual field sensitivities and thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in the normal human eye. It is estimated that 0.6% of RGCs are lost per year, compared to a 0.2% annual reduction of RNFL thickness. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the age-related decrease in visual field sensitivities, suggested by normative visual field data, is reflected in OCT measurements of healthy, normal eyes
Methods: :
We studied 35 healthy subjects ages 25-80 (mean 53.8 +_15.2). Subjects had normal vision and their standardized automated perimetry [SAP] were identified as being within normal limits by the Glaucoma Hemi-field Test (Humphrey Analyzer II) in both eyes. Peripapillary RNFL thickness measurements were made in these normal eyes around the nerve head using time-domain Stratus OCT. At random, one eye of each subject was chosen for statistical analysis using linear regression techniques.
Results: :
We found that the mean RNFL thickness was 99,8 micron. The age-related thinning of RNFL was 0.29 %/year. The global indices (MD and PSD) of the SAP of subjects indicate that the subjects have normal visual field, the mean SAP sensitivity for the younger subject is about 4 dB higher than for the older subject.
Conclusions: :
Our results suggest that the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness as measured by Stratus OCT varies significantly with age. Visual field sensitivity decreased with age. This has to be taken into consideration when evaluating glaucoma
Keywords: aging • nerve fiber layer • visual fields