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Researchers from Türkiye have discovered that patients with albinism who have higher macular pigments tend to have better visual acuity, suggesting supplementation as a potential therapy to support improved visual acuity in this patient group.

The study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, aimed to demonstrate the presence of macular pigments in patients with albinism using colour perimetry and to evaluate the relationship between macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and ocular findings. Of the 50 patients in the study, median best-corrected visual acuity was 0.8 logMAR; median photostress recovery time was 8s; median MPOD and macular pigment mean defect were 0.63 decibel (dB) and 4.34 dB, respectively; and there was a statistically significant negative correlation between MPOD and BCVA-logMAR and a positive correlation between macular pigment mean defect and BCVA-logMAR. No statistically significant correlation was found between iris transillumination defect grade, photostress recovery time and foveal hypoplasia grade.

“These findings suggests that supplementation with retinal carotenoids could be a promising therapeutic approach for albinism, as it may increase macular pigment density, leading to improved visual acuity,” concluded researchers.