measurement of normal macular thickness using cirrus optical coherence tomography instrument in iranian subjects with normal ocular condition

purpose : to describe the macular thickness map of iranian adult with normal retinal status as measured by cirrus’ optical coherence tomography (oct) instrument methods : in this cross-sectional study, one eye of subjects with normal ocular examination and retinal status of at least one eye were recruited. the 512×128-scan pattern and scan area of 6×6 mm2 with software version 4 protocol in cirrus oct apparatus were used for data acquisition and analysis. results : a total of 98 individuals participated in this study. 45.9% of the participants (i.e., 45 subjects) were male. the mean age of the subjects was 49.55±16.31 years ranging from 23 to 80 years. the mean central subfield thickness (cst) was 251.39±20.57 µm which is the thinnest part. the mean cst in men and women were 259.33±21.26 µm and 244.64±17.48 µm, respectively (p<0.001). the thickest part of macula was located in the foveonasal area with a measurement of 320.2±14.54 µm. there was not any significant correlation among age (p=0.207), gender (p=0.290), and the cst. the nasal, superior, inferior, and temporal parts of macula, consecutively, exhibited a decrease in macular thickness. the mean macular volume was 9.95±0.49 mm3 (i.e., 10.05±0.54 mm3 in men and 9.86±0.41 mm3 in women, respectively). there is, however, a statistically-significant correlation between age and the macular volume (p<0.001). with every one year increase in age, there was a 0.012 mm3 decrease in macular volume. the average retinal thickness was 277.58±11.55 µm. additionally, there is a significant correlation between age and average thickness (p<0.001) from statistical point of view. with every one year increase in the age, there was a 0.266 µm decrease in the average thickness. conclusion : the thickest part of the macula was located in the foveonasal area with a measurement of 320 µm while the thinnest part was in the central subfield area with a measurement of 251 µm. the nasal, superior, inferior, and temporal parts of macula, consecutively, exhibited a decrease in macular thickness. in younger adults and among males, the mean thickness was greater.    iranian journal of ophthalmology 201325(2):107-114 © 2013 by the iranian society of ophthalmology