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Related Experiment Videos

Effect of aging on optic nerve appearance: a longitudinal study.

F J Moya1, L Brigatti, J Caprioli

  • 1Glaucoma Section, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, and the Glaucoma Division, Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA.

The British Journal of Ophthalmology
|April 27, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Aging does not cause detectable optic disc changes in normal eyes. Longitudinal studies show no significant neuroretinal rim loss in aging optic nerves, unlike in glaucoma patients.

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Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • The aging process can affect various physiological systems, including the visual system.
  • Detecting subtle changes in the optic disc is crucial for diagnosing and monitoring optic nerve conditions like glaucoma.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether normal aging leads to measurable alterations in the optic disc's appearance.
  • To differentiate age-related changes from pathological changes in the optic nerve.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective longitudinal study analyzed stereoscopic optic disc photographs from 224 subjects.
  • Quantitative (rim/disc area ratio) and qualitative assessments were performed on normal subjects, glaucoma patients, and same-day controls.
  • Progression criteria included a >10% decrease in rim/disc area ratio or consensus of observer judgment.

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Main Results:

  • Normal aging eyes showed no statistically significant changes in the rim/disc area ratio over a mean follow-up of 13 years.
  • Glaucomatous eyes exhibited significant quantitative (35%) and qualitative (31%) neuroretinal rim loss over a mean follow-up of 9 years.
  • No significant difference in disc progression was observed between normal eyes and same-day control groups.

Conclusions:

  • Stereoscopic optic disc photography revealed no detectable neuroretinal rim loss in normal aging optic nerves.
  • The study confirms that aging alone does not cause significant structural changes in the optic disc detectable by current imaging methods.
  • These findings are important for long-term outcome studies in glaucoma, distinguishing age-related stability from disease progression.