Abstract
Purpose :
Macular pigment (MP), thought to protect against ocular pathology and enhance vision performance, has previously been positively associated with contrast sensitivity (CS) in cross-sectional studies and short-term trials. The degree to which MP enhances vision in older people, with and without ocular pathology, is unknown. We evaluated the cross-sectional association between MP and CS in a longitudinal study of post-menopausal women.
Methods :
The analysis includes women in CAREDS who had MP optical density (MPOD) measured at baseline (2001-2004) and follow-up (2016-October 2017) and CS measured at follow-up (n=378). Photopic CS was measured using the Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity test, measured at 1 meter and 240-480 lux. MPOD, assessed using heterochromatic flicker photometry, was measured at 0.25 and 0.5, relative to a reference at 7 degrees from the foveal center. For this analysis, the main predictor is MPOD at 0.5 degrees, and the main outcome is log CS, both measured in the best eye at follow-up. The association was evaluated using linear regression, adjusting for age, lutein intake, and the presence of an intraocular lens.
Results :
Participants were on average 80.3 years of age(standard deviation [SD]=5.4). MP increased between baseline and follow-up (from a mean of 0.38 (SD=0.19 ) to 0.53 (SD=0.29)). Log CS means in the top and bottom MPOD quintiles at follow-up were 1.64 (SD=0.21) and 1.58 (SD=0.16), respectively. Higher MP was associated with better CS (β=0.09, p=0.003) and the association was strengthened when adjusting for age (β=0.10, p=0.001) or for age and other factors previously related to CS (having an intraocular lens, lutein, and zeaxanthin intake; β=0.11, p=0.0003). The association remained significant (multivariate-adjusted: β=0.10, p=0.005) in sensitivity analyses, excluding women with ocular pathology glaucoma risk factors, AMD, or lens opacities).
Conclusions :
Preliminary analyses in older women in the CAREDS2 study indicate higher MP at follow-up was associated with better CS overall and in women without ocular pathologies (glaucoma, AMD). These results add to an increasing body of evidence suggesting that taking steps to increase MP may improve CS, independent of protection against common age-related eye diseases.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.