Microvascular and Morphologic Changes of the Macula over Lifetime

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Gerontology

Background:

• Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and OCT-angiography (OCTA) provide morphological and microvascular data of the macula.
• Age is known to influence measurements from both SD-OCT and OCTA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age-related changes in macular morphology and microvasculature using SD-OCT and OCTA.
• To characterize the association between age and macular segmentation and vascular density parameters.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of macular SD-OCT and OCTA data from 157 healthy individuals aged 10-79 years.
• Comparison of age groups using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
• Evaluation of associations using linear regression analysis.

Main Results:

• A significant decrease in macular thickness, including the ganglion cell and inner plexiform layers, was observed with increasing age.
• Vascular density (VD) in both the superficial (SCP) and deep (DCP) capillary plexuses decreased with age.
• The foveal avascular zone area remained constant across age groups.

Conclusions:

• Age-related morphological and microvascular changes occur in the macula.
• These findings enhance the understanding of macular aging and improve the interpretation of OCT(A) in healthy and diseased eyes.