Macular Thickness and Volume by Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography and their Related Factors in the Elderly Population.

Purpose: To determine the distribution of macular thickness and macular volume in an elderly healthy population 60 years of age and above and their determinants.

Methods: The sampling was performed using a multistage stratified random cluster sampling method on the geriatric population 60 years of age and above in Tehran, Iran. All participants underwent optometric examinations, slit-lamp examination, and optical biometry. Retinal imaging was performed by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.

Results: The means ± standard deviation and 95% confidence interval of central macular thickness (CMT), average macular thickness (AMT), and macular volume were 221 ± 33 (218-223) μm, 267 ± 29 (265-269) μm, and 8.36 ± 0.44 (8.33-8.39) mm³, respectively. The CMT was significantly lower in females than males (β: -5.77; P = 0.002). The AMT was significantly lower in females than males (β = -10.32; P < 0.001) and was significantly directly related to intraocular pressure (β = 0.63; P = 0.038). The macular volume was significantly lower in females than males (β = -0.13; P < 0.001) and decreased with age (β = -0.01; P < 0.001). In addition, the macular volume had a significant inverse and direct relationship with axial length (β = -0.04; P = 0.011) and keratometry (β = 0.03; P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Macular thickness in the Iranian geriatric population was slightly less than the populations studied in other countries. The role of sex should also be taken into account in the interpretation of macular thickness findings.