Effect of aging and lifestyle on healthy macular photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch membrane complex thickness

Abstract

Objectives Investigate how aging and some lifestyle factors correlate with changes in macular photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch membrane complex layers thickness in a sample of healthy population by using OCT segmentation technique. Subjects and methods A cross-sectional study conducted at the ophthalmology department in the Medical City in Baghdad. All participants underwent an interview of medical history and lifestyle habits. Maculae of all participants were scanned using spectral domain optical coherence tomography, followed by manual segmentation of retinal layers. Results The study included 152 healthy participants (152 eyes), their mean age was 57.3 ± 6.7 years, gender distribution was 82(53.9%) males and 70(46.1%) females. There was a decrement in retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch membrane layer thickness at central subfield (500 µm radius from fovea minimum) by − 0.178 µm/year (p = 0.019), inner macula (500–1500 µm radius from fovea minimum) by − 0.263 µm/year (p = 0.002), outer macula (1500–3000 µm radius from fovea minimum) by − 0.225 µm/year (p = 0.015) with no statistically significant effect on photoreceptor thickness. Physical activity and smoking had statistically no significant effect on these layers thickness, however smokers had higher photoreceptor thickness at fovea minimum and central subfield. Body mass index increase by one kg/m2 correlated with a decrement in photoreceptor layer thickness by − 0.108 µm (p = 0.007). Conclusion Aging process affected the retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch membrane complex and photoreceptor layer thickness in a healthy population, and this process can be slowed down by avoiding some lifestyles which aggravate these changes like obesity.