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The association between dark adaptation and macular pigment optical density in healthy subjects

  • Medical Ophthalmology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate whether macular pigment optical density (MPOD) is related to dark adaptation in healthy subjects.

Methods

Dark adaptation was measured after a minimum 30 % pigment bleach in 33 subjects (aged 15–68), using a white 1° stimulus presented 11° below fixation on a cathode ray tube monitor. The luminance range of the monitor was extended using neutral density filters. A heterochromatic flicker photometry based instrument (MPS 9000) was used to measure MPOD.

Results

The average MPOD for the whole group was 0.37 ±0.21 optical density units. Subjects with lighter irides had on average 40 % lower MPOD compared to those with darker irides (0.3 ± 0.20 vs 0.5 ± 0.19). Group mean MPOD was weakly associated with second (r = 0.32, p = 0.07) and third rod-mediated recovery rates (r = 0.31, p = 0.08) and with the rod threshold (r = −0.24, p = 0.18) 30 min after the onset of bleach. MPOD was unrelated to cone time constant (r = −0.02, p = 0.91), cone threshold (r = −0.01, p = 0.96), rod–cone break (r = 0.13, p = 0.45) or the rod–rod break (r = 0.11, p = 0.52). The second rod-mediated recovery rate (S2) for the lower 10th percentile of MPOD (n = 4) was 0.18 log cd.m-2.min-1 and 0.24 log cd.m-2.min-1 for the upper 10th percentile (n = 4). The two groups were significantly different (t = −2.67, p = 0.037).

Conclusions

We report a statistically significant difference between subjects falling in the 10th percentile extremes of MPOD and rod-mediated but not cone-mediated sensitivity recovery. Further investigation into the relationship between MPOD and rod function is warranted, particularly extending the work to encompass those with low MPOD and poor night vision.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr Daniel H. Baker for his help with Matlab coding. This research was supported by a BBSRC grant (BB/F017227/1) and Vitabiotics. Neil R.A. Parry and Tariq Aslam’s participation was facilitated by the Manchester Biomedical Research Centre and the Greater Manchester Comprehensive Local Research Network.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Vision Centre, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Carys Bannister Building, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Laura Patryas, Dave Carden & Ian J. Murray

  2. Vision Science Centre, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK

    Neil R. A. Parry & Tariq Aslam

  3. Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester,, UK

    Neil R. A. Parry & Tariq Aslam

Authors
  1. Laura Patryas
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  2. Neil R. A. Parry
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  3. Dave Carden
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  4. Tariq Aslam
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  5. Ian J. Murray
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura Patryas.

Additional information

Neil R.A. Parry has a proprietorial interest in the dark adaptation software described here. Ian J. Murray and Dave Carden are the joint inventors and patent holders of the MPS 9000.

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Patryas, L., Parry, N.R.A., Carden, D. et al. The association between dark adaptation and macular pigment optical density in healthy subjects. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 252, 657–663 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-014-2564-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-014-2564-z

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