Three-dimensional profile of macular retinal thickness in normal Japanese eyes

To demonstrate the three-dimensional macular thickness distribution in normal subjects by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and evaluate its association with sex, age, and axial length.

Mean regional retinal thickness measurements on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) layout were obtained by three-dimensional raster scanning (6 x 6 mm) using SD-OCT in 248 normal eyes of 248 Japanese subjects.

Mean foveal thickness was 222 +/- 19 microm; it was significantly greater in men (226 +/- 19 microm) than in women (218 +/- 18 microm; P = 0.002) and did not correlate with age in either sex. Mean sectoral retinal thickness was also significantly greater in the men than in the women in all the quadrants of the inner ring (1-3 mm; P < 0.001 and P = 0.001-0.007) and in the temporal quadrant of the outer ring (3-6 mm; P < 0.001). The retinal thicknesses of each of the ETDRS sectors did not correlate significantly with axial length after adjustment for age in either sex. Retinal thickness in six of the eight sectors in the inner and outer rings showed a negative correlation with age after adjustment for axial length in the men (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001-0.018), whereas no correlation with age was observed in the women.

SD-OCT demonstrated the three-dimensional macular thickness distribution in normal eyes. Macular thickness varied significantly with sex and age. These variables should be considered while evaluating macular thickness.