Macular Pigment and Open-Angle Glaucoma in the Elderly: The Montrachet Population-Based Study

Abstract

(1) Background: To compare macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and its spatial distribution between eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and control eyes in an elderly population. (2) Methods: The Montrachet study (Maculopathy Optic Nerve and nutrition neurovAsCular and HEarT) is a population-based study including participants aged 75 years and over. All participants had a slit lamp examination, fundus photographs, and a questionnaire about their medical past history and smoking status. Optic disc spectral domain optical coherence tomography was also performed. All glaucoma-suspected patients were convocated to have a new full examination. We only retained one eye with POAG for analysis in the glaucoma group and one eye without optic neuropathy in the control participants group. MPOD measurements were performed with the two-wavelength autofluorescence method (488 and 514 nm). (3) Results: Overall, 601 eyes had MPOD measurements among 1153 participants. Among the 601 eyes, 48 had POAG. The mean age for the glaucoma and control participants was 84.01 ± 4.22 years and 81.94 ± 3.61 years, respectively (p < 0.001). In the multivariable analysis, we could not find any association between POAG and MPOD at 0.5° (p = 0.336). We found no significant difference regarding MP spatial distribution between the two groups (p = 0.408). (4) Conclusion: In this elderly population-based study, eyes with POAG and control eyes without optic neuropathy did not differ in terms of MPOD and MP spatial distribution.

Going for Gaps in Glaucoma

“…Macular pigment and glaucoma may be linked through microvascular and oxidative stress processes, both of which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of glaucoma. The Montrachet population-based study, which included participants aged 75 years and older, compared macular pigment optical density and its distribution between eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma and control eyes without optic neuropathy [6]. The macular pigment optical density was determined via the two-wave autofluorescence method using the Heidelberg Retina Angiograph (HRA; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) and the macular pigment spatial distribution was generated from the HRA graphs using modified software.…”