Abstract

Lipofuscin is a fluorescent pigment that accumulates throughout life preferentially in the macular RPE. At old age, lipofuscin is the major constituent of the cell as it occupies most of the free cytoplasmic [1]. It has been hypothesized that cell congestion by lipofuscin affects the normal metabolic activity of the RPE [1-3], and that this process plays a role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Massively engorged RPE cells are found adjacent to areas where the RPE is absent secondary to atrophy in AMD [3]. Although the evidence for lipofuscin involvement in AMD is circumstantial, the possibility of quantifying lipofuscin concentration in old subjects and in patients with AMD offers the potential of a meaningful clinical evaluation of the role of lipofuscin in the development of degenerative diseases such as AMD.

© 1992 Optical Society of America