Comparison of two methods to measure macular pigment optical density in healthy subjects

To evaluate and compare macular pigment optical density (MPOD) measurements obtained using the modified Heidelberg Retina Angiograph (HRA) and the Visucam 200.

Healthy young subjects were included in this prospective study. MPOD was measured with the modified HRA at 0° and 0.5°, 1°, 2°, and 6° eccentricities from the fovea. The parameters obtained with the Visucam 200 (maximum, mean, area, and volume) were recorded the same day on the same subjects. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the agreement between the two devices. The repeatability and the reproducibility of each method were also assessed.

Sixty-seven subjects were included whose median (interquartile ratio) age was 25 years (range, 23-30 years). The MPODs as measured with the modified HRA were higher than those measured with the Visucam 200 (P < 0.0001). The ICCs were low, ranging from 0.020 to 0.188. The correlation coefficients between the two methods were very low and ranged from 0.05 to 0.22. Repeatability and reproducibility were good with both methods, with ICCs ranging from 0.697 to 0.923.

Agreement between the modified HRA and the Visucam in measuring MPOD was rather low. These results suggest that the two methods are not interchangeable. Before using the Visucam 200 in clinical and research setting, further evaluation seems mandatory (http://ansm.sante.fr/ number, 2009-A00448-49).