Age-related change in retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measured with spectral domain optical coherence tomography

We investigated age-related change in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses (RNFLT) measured with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in healthy individuals.

In this cross-sectional study, peripapillary RNFL measurement was performed using a Cirrus SD-OCT device. Linear regression analysis and Spearman's correlation analysis were performed to investigate the level of difference in age-related change in the overall mean, 4 quadrants mean, and 12 clock-hour sectors mean RNFLT.

Mean age of the 121 healthy participants was 39 years (range, 20-59 years). Mean 4 quadrant and mean 12 clock-hour sector RNFLT in the 121 randomly selected eyes in 121 healthy participants decreased significantly with age in the overall group (Spearman's correlation analysis, P < 0.05). Overall mean RNFLT decreased by 0.365 μm (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47-0.26; linear regression analysis, P < 0.001) for every one year increase in age. Overall, the greatest decrease in mean RNFLT was in the lower quadrant (0.575 μm/y; 95% CI, 0.733-0.416), versus the least decrease in the nasal quadrant (0.141 μm/y; 95% CI, 0.272-0.010), and the greatest decrease in mean RNFLT was in the 6 clock-hour sector (0.656 μm/y; 95% CI, 0.939-0.374), versus the least decrease in the 3 clock-hour sector (0.119 μm/y; 95% CI, 0.266-0.029).

Age-related decrease in RNFLT varied according to sector. Age-related change should be accounted for in any assessment of RNFLT. Regional age-related change is accounted for by Cirrus SD-OCT in its normative database.