Preliminary analysis of the relationship between serum lutein and zeaxanthin levels and macular pigment optical density

Shigeto Fujimura,1,2 Kohei Ueda,1 Yoko Nomura,1 Yasuo Yanagi3,4 1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Tokyo, 2Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Ishikawa, Japan; 3Singapore Eye Research Institute, 4Medical Retina Department, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore Purpose: To assess the relationship between combined serum lutein and zeaxanthin (L+Z) concentration and macular pigment optical density (MPOD), and to investigate the effect of L+Z+docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) dietary supplementation on the spatial distribution of MPOD.Methods: Twenty healthy fellow eyes with unilateral wet age-related macular degeneration or chronic central serous chorioretinopathy were included. All participants received a dietary supplement for 6 months that contained 20 mg L, 1 mg Z, and 200 mg DHA. The best-corrected visual acuity and contrast sensitivity (CS) were measured at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months. Serum L+Z concentrations were measured at baseline and at 3 months. MPOD was calculated at each time point using fundus autofluorescent images.Results: Serum L+Z concentration was correlated with MPOD at 1°–2° eccentricity at baseline (r=0.63, P=0.003) and 3 months (r=0.53, P=0.015). Serum L+Z concentration increased by a factor of 2.3±1.0 (P<0.0001). At 6 months, MPOD was significantly higher compared to the baseline level at 0°–0.25° (P=0.034) and 0.25°–0.5° (P=0.032) eccentricity. CS improved after 3 or 6 months of L+Z+DHA supplementation (P<0.05).Conclusion: Juxtafoveal MPOD was associated with serum L+Z concentration. Foveal MPOD was increased by L+Z+DHA dietary supplementation. Keywords: fundus autofluorescence, supplement, spatial distributio