Macular thickness and volume in the elderly: A systematic review

Yousif Subhi, Thomas Forshaw, Torben Lykke Sørensen

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Ageing leads to a number of changes in the body including the macula. Detailed imaging using optical coherence tomography have enabled in vivo studies of how macula changes with age. Here we systematically review 49 studies (9115 participants and 11,577 eyes) to provide an overview of how ageing manifests in the macula of the elderly focusing on clinical relevant measures that are thicknesses and volumes of different macular areas. Ageing seems to increase center point foveal thickness. Ageing does not seem to change the center subfield thickness significantly. Ageing decreases the inner and outer macular thickness, and the overall macular thickness and volume. Studies find that specific retinal layers at specific locations seem to be the contributor to these changes. These findings confirm that age-related changes suggested in histological studies are measurable in vivo on thickness and volume and differ depending on location. Studies are needed to explore reasons for the large variance in measurements and how ageing by itself contributes to development of macular disease.

Original languageEnglish
JournalAgeing Research Reviews
Volume29
Pages (from-to)42-9
Number of pages8
ISSN1568-1637
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2016

Keywords

  • Journal Article
  • Review

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Macular thickness and volume in the elderly: A systematic review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this