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Does macular pigment optical density really matter in children?
Author(s) -
Erkan Turan K.,
Cankaya A.B.,
Taylan Sekeroglu H.,
Inam O.,
Karahan S.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2016.0480
Subject(s) - strabismus , medicine , optical density , ophthalmology , fixation (population genetics) , body mass index , significant difference , visual acuity , optometry , population , environmental health
Purpose To evaluate macular pigment optical density (MPOD) in healthy children and to compare with strabismic children. Methods The study included 54 healthy children and 41 children with strabismus. All underwent ophthalmological evaluation, macular pigment optical density measurement (Macular Densitometer, Macular Metrics II, Rehoboth, MA, USA) and questionnaire about food habits. Children with strabismus were graded in terms of fixation preference. Gestational age, birth weight and body mass index of the participants were matched. Results The mean age was 9.87 ± 2.39 years in healthy children and 9.07 ± 2.07 years in children with strabismus (p > 0.05). Mean MPOD was 0.23 ± 0.25 in healthy eyes and 0.25 ± 0.27 in non‐preferred eyes of strabismic children (p > 0.05). MPOD was significantly higher in preferred eyes of strabismic children (0.43 ± 0.34, p = 0.001). There was a significant difference of MPOD between both eyes in patients with different grades of fixation as patients with grade 1, 2, 3 preference had interocular difference of MPOD whereas patients with grade 4 preference (free alternation) had similar MPOD in both eyes (p = 0.008). No relation between MPOD and age, food habits, gestational age, birth weight and body mass index was demonstrated. Furthermore, interocular visual acuity difference, type of strabismus and angle of deviation were found to have no effect on MPOD. Conclusions Preferred eyes of children with strabismus seem to have higher MPOD compared to non‐preferred eyes. This difference may emerge from the higher tendency of pushing the button while preferred eye is under testing. Similar MPOD in healthy and non‐preferred eyes remain unexplained and deserve further investigation. This result should been enlightened and it should be kept in mind that MPOD measurement require good cooperation and its results should be carefully interpreted.