Age-related alterations in retinal capillary function.

Purpose: To determine age-related alterations in the retinal capillary function (RCF, the ability to transport blood flow) in healthy subjects.

Methods: A total of 148 healthy subjects (aged 18 to 83 years) were enrolled, and one eye of each subject was imaged. Retinal blood flow (RBF) was measured using a Retinal Function Imager, and retinal capillary density (RCD, expressed as fractal dimension Dbox) was measured using optical coherence tomography angiography. RCF was defined as the ratio of RBF to RCD, representing the ability to transport blood flow. The relationship between RCF and age was analyzed. In addition, the cohort was divided into four groups (G1, <35 years, G2, 35-49 years, G3, 50-64 years, and G4, ≥65 years) for further analysis.

Results: With all data, the relation between the RCF and age had a trend of a quadratic model (G1-4: r = 0.16, P = 0.14). After 35 years (i.e., G2-4), the relation had a trend between the RCF and age fitted into a negative linear model (r = -0.23, P = 0.05). Moreover, after 50 years (i.e., G3-4), the negative linear model became stronger (r = -0.37, P = 0.03). The average RCF was 2.24 ± 0.22 μl/s/Dbox in G4, significantly lower than that in G2 (2.65 ± 0.56 μl/s/Dbox, P = 0.018) and G3 (2.64 ± 0.70 μl/s/Dbox, P = 0.034), but did not reach a significant level compared to that in G1 (2.55 + 0.51 μl/s/Dbox, P = 0.056).

Conclusions: This is the first study to determine age-related alterations in the RCF in a healthy population. Decreased RCF in the older group may represent a characteristic pattern of normal aging.