The macular pigment optical density spatial profile and increasing age.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between the central spatial profile of macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and increasing age in normal eyes.Method: 98 individuals (aged 19-71 yrs) with good visual acuity, free from ocular disease and with clear ocular media participated. Macular pigment optical density was measured at 0.25, 0.50, 1.00 and 1.75 degrees eccentricity from the foveal centre using a heterochromatic flicker photometry based densitometer instrument.Results: Linear regression analysis revealed that there was no statistically significant association between MPOD and increasing age for the group as a whole at 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 degrees eccentricity (p>0.05 for all eccentricities). However, there was a small but statistically significant positive association between increasing age and MPOD at 1.75 degrees eccentricity (F = 5.44, p=0.02), but age only accounted for 5% of the variation in MPOD values. 11 % of all participants had a non-exponential macular pigment spatial profile.Conclusions: There was no statistically significant relationship between MPOD and increasing age for three of the four locations measured. A proportion of individuals show an atypical macular pigment spatial profile which should be considered when interpreting results from studies which report macular pigment optical density estimates from only one retinal location.