Macular pigment measurement - Clinical applications

Chapter 6 outlined various studies that have utilized autofluorescence imaging to measure macular pigment (MP) [14, 21, 22]. In addition to peak optical density, the autofluorescence method allows assessment of the shape of MP spatial distribution. There is considerable intersubject differences in MP spatial profiles, as recognized by several investigators [6, 7, 11, 14]. It is perhaps surprising that so many studies on MP, including some of those based on fundus imaging, focused solely on the peak optical density at the fovea and ignored the lateral distribution [3, 4, 21, 22]. A possible role for MP in the pathophysiology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been suggested [2, 5], and Trieschmann et al. have reported that this can be related to the MP profiles [19].