Comparison of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Between Emmetropes and High Myopes

Abstract

Background: The present study aims to compare RNFL thickness of high myopes of > - 6D and compare with emmetropic patients, so as to interpret and distinguish the physiological changes of high myopia from accompanying diseases in such individuals.
 Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study. All subjects underwent a full ophthalmic examination, refraction and visual field analysis. Optical coherence tomography was used for RFNL thickness measurement. The mean peripapillary RNFL thickness between groups was compared using both analysis of variance and analysis of covariance.
 Results: The mean value of average RNFL thickness in both groups was found to be 85.40 in group 1 and 99.34 in group 2. P value was 0.0001, showing that there was significant statistical difference between both the groups and average RNFL thickness was thinner in myopic group.
 Conclusion: RNFL was found to be significantly thin in high myopia.
 Keywords: RNFL thickness, Myopia, Emmetropes