PurposeEvaluation of the neuroprotective effect of weekly glatiramer acetate (GA) on retinal structure and function in diabetic patients who underwent panretinal photocoagulation (PRP).Patients and methodsPatients with severe nonproliferative or early proliferative diabetic retinopathy and no previous laser treatment were randomly divided into two groups: (1) those who received four GA treatments and (2) those who received placebo treatment. The subcutaneous injections were administered 1 week prior to laser and weekly in the subsequent three sessions of PRP in both groups. All patients underwent a full ophthalmic examination (best-corrected logMAR visual acuity, slit lamp examination, applanation tonometry, fundus biomicroscopy and indirect fundus examination); functional examination (standard automated perimetry, electroretinography and frequency-doubling technology C-20 visual field) and anatomic examination (color photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Heidelberg retinal tomography). The examinations were performed before the photocoagulation and repeated 1,3,6, and 12 months after treatment (in a double-masked manner). To compare the two groups, generalized estimating equation models were performed to account for the dependence between eyes of the same patient.ResultsThirteen patients (23 eyes) were included in the study group and 13 patients (24 eyes) were included in the control group. OCT showed a statistically significant difference in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in the inferior peripapillary region and average thickness with thinner measurements in the control group at 1-year post-PRP. Functional analysis demonstrated a difference between groups, but it did not reach statistical significance.ConclusionThe results of this study suggest that weekly GA treatment has a potential neuro-protective effect on the RNFL following photocoagulation for diabetic retinopathy.
Purpose. To correlate optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements with clinical parameters in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 22 patients with IIH and 11 controls. All participants underwent comprehensive ophthalmological examination followed by spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) and standard automated perimetry using the 30–2 program of the Humphrey visual field analyzer. Correlations between ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, as measured by SD-OCT, and clinical parameters were assessed using generalized estimating equations. Result. The mean age of the participants was 35.0 ± 10.83 years. The groups were similar regarding age, but were significantly different regarding sex and visual acuity (
p
=
0.001
and
p
=
0.038
, respectively). The GCC was significantly thinner in the IIH group, with a mean of 90.535 ± 9.766 μm compared to 98.119 ± 6.988 μm for the controls (
p
=
0.023
). There was a significant association between GCC thickness and optic disc pallor (
p
=
0.016
) and between edema and visual acuity (
p
=
0.037
). No significant difference was found in RNFL thickness between patients and controls. Conclusion. The GCC was thinner in the patients with IIH compared to the controls, and there was an association between GCC and optic disc pallor. This might suggest a role for OCT parameters when the structural changes that occur in IIH are investigated, possibly guiding clinical decision making.
Found changes suggested photoreceptor and ganglion cells, but not Müller cell functional alterations, as well as pigment mobilization. These changes disappeared 30 days after the trauma.
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