Original article
Normative Data for Macular Thickness by High-Definition Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (Spectralis)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2009.03.006Get rights and content

Purpose

To establish normative data for the macular thickness by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in subjects with no known retinal disease.

Design

Prospective, observational study in an academic institutional setting.

Methods

Fifty subjects (age range, 20 to 84 years) with no known retinal disease, best-corrected visual acuity 20/20, and normal intraocular pressure were enrolled. The subjects were divided into 3 age groups: group 1 included subjects 20 to 40 years of age; group 2 included subjects 41 to 60 years of age; and group 3 included subjects 61 years of age and older. All subjects underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination to rule out any retinal diseases or glaucoma. All the OCT scans were performed by a single operator, and data obtained from the right eyes were analyzed by default, unless the right eye did not meet the inclusion criteria, and then data from left eyes were analyzed (n = 4). Central point thickness (CPT) and retinal thickness (RT) in 9 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) subfields, including central subfield (CSF), were analyzed. Statistical analyses were carried out using the analysis of variance.

Results

Overall, the mean CPT was 227.3 ± 23.2 μm, and mean CSF was 270.2 ± 22.5 μm. Among the ETDRS subfields, the outer nasal quadrant had the maximum thickness (mean ± standard deviation, 339.5 ± 16.9 μm). The RT did not show significant difference with age (P = .62) or with gender (P = .1). However, there was a suggestion of significant difference in RT of Black subjects as compared with White subjects (P = .007) in the present study.

Conclusions

Normative values for macular thickness in otherwise healthy eyes were measured to be 227.3 μm (CPT) and 270.2 μm (CSF) using commercially available Spectralis SD-OCT. Based on the data, the present study proposes the guidelines for normal CSF thickness to be 315 μm for future studies using macular thickness measurements with Spectralis SD-OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Vista, California, USA).

Section snippets

Methods

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects before study procedures were carried out. Subjects who had a best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/20 or better in at least 1 eye with no history or clinical evidence of retinal disease were included in the study. Initial evaluation included BCVA testing, applanation tonometry, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and fundus evaluation. OCT testing was performed by an experienced operator using Spectralis SD-OCT. All testing was carried out by the same

Results

Fifty normal eyes from 50 healthy subjects were examined clinically and underwent Spectralis SD-OCT testing and measurement. The ages ranged from 20 to 84 years (median, 43 years) and were divided into 3 age groups: group 1 consisted of subjects ranging from 20 to 40 years of age (n = 19), group 2 consisted of subjects ranging from 41 to 60 years of age (n = 20), and group 3 consisted of subjects 61 years of age and older (n = 11). There were 24 women (48%) and 26 men (52%) included in the

Discussion

In the past few years, OCT has emerged as a useful and adjunctive imaging technique, providing high-resolution cross-sectional images and valuable information about various pathologic features of the macula.1, 2 Quantification of macular thickness by OCT in a reproducible, noninvasive way allows clinicians to monitor the efficacy of treatment for macular pathologic features like diabetic macular edema.13, 14 The SD-OCT increases the speed of data collection by a factor of 100 (conventional

References (19)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (263)

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text