Home › Cell Biology › Measurement of Carotenoids in Perifovea using the Macular Pigment Reflectometer
Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Measurement of Carotenoids in Perifovea using the Macular Pigment Reflectometer

DOI: 10.3791/60429-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Operate a macular pigment reflectometer to measure carotenoid optical density
  • ✓ Construct and adjust a peripheral track system for foveal eccentricity measurements
  • ✓ Distinguish lutein and zeaxanthin levels across central and parafoveal retinal regions
Protocol

We present a protocol to determine the levels of overall macular pigment, lutein, and zeaxanthin optical density in the central and parafoveal regions of the retina. The protocol includes a novel adjustable track system used to measure macular pigment optical density in the foveal eccentricity.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~45–60 min per subject

Steps

1
Understand macular pigment measurement principles

Review the optical density measurement technique and clinical significance of lutein, zeaxanthin, and overall macular pigment in the retina.

▶ 00:05
2
Construct adjustable peripheral track system

Assemble the novel track system to enable precise positioning for parafoveal and peripheral carotenoid measurements at defined eccentricities.

▶ 01:15
3
Perform central macular pigment measurement

Position subject and use the reflectometer to acquire optical density readings for macular pigment and individual carotenoids at the fovea.

▶ 02:10
4
Perform peripheral carotenoid measurement

Use the adjustable track system to measure carotenoid optical density at parafoveal and peripheral retinal eccentricities.

▶ 05:14
5
Analyze and interpret carotenoid results

Review mean optical density values and individual lutein/zeaxanthin measurements across foveal and parafoveal regions.

▶ 07:18
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