Macular Pigment Optical Density in First Degree Relatives of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Patients

Purpose: To measure the macular pigment optical density (MPOD) in first degree relatives of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and compare it with a healthy control group.Methods: 128 healthy subjects who were first-degree relatives of AMD patients were included in the study (Group 1). As the control group, 74 healthy subjects were included in the study (Group 2). The right eyes of all cases were included in the study. MPOD was measured with a commercially available device (MPSII®, Elektron Technology, Switzerland) using technology based on heterochromatic flicker photometry. Central foveal thickness (CFT) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) were measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Values were compared between the two groups.Results: There were 54 males and 74 females in Group 1, 32 males and 42 females in Group 2. The mean ± SD ages of Group 1 and Group 2 were 49.0 ± 7.6 and 41.8 ± 8.6, respectively. Mean ± SD MPOD values ​​of Group 1 and Group 2 were 0.43 ± 0.09 and 0.47 ± 0.12 (p = 0.048), mean ± SD CFT were 208 ± 19µm and 216 ± 8µm (p = 0.014), mean ± SD SFCT were 232 ± 29µm and 250 ± 21µm (p = 0.002), respectively.Conclusion: The MPOD values were significantly lower in the first-degree relatives of patients with AMD than in the control group. MPOD may be a marker for the development of AMD in the future in the first-degree relatives of AMD patients. Further prospective studies with a larger number of participants will be needed to confirm our results moreover, to clarify its benefit as a early diagnostic biomarker.