Effect of Partial Posterior Vitreous Detachment on Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness as Measured by Optical Coherence Tomography

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of partially attached posterior vitreous detachments (pPVDs) at the optic disc on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness as measured by optical coherence tomography. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using stored Stratus optical coherence tomography III scans of patients with suspected glaucoma from January 2003 to September 2006 at the Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York. All scans were evaluated for vitreous attachments at the disc and were divided into control (without pPVD) and pPVD groups. The RNFL thickness was compared using the fast RNFL protocol. Patients were defined as glaucoma suspects based on clinical findings of either glaucomatous-appearing optic discs or elevated intraocular pressure. All study patients had normal Humphrey visual fields. Results: A total of 110 eyes from 110 patients were included; 59 were in the pPVD group and 51 were controls. Partial PVD was found in 40% of the glaucoma suspects. The mean RNFL thickness of eyes with pPVD was significantly broader than that of controls (101.6 µm vs 95.6 µm, respectively; PϽ.001). The average RNFL thickness of each quadrant was greater in the pPVD group than in the control group, with statistically significant differences in superior and inferior quadrants (PϽ .001 and P=.001, respectively). Conclusions: More than one-third of this population of glaucoma suspects had a pPVD, indicating that this is a common phenomenon. The results suggest that RNFL thicknesses are greater in patients with pPVD than in controls. This may indicate a limitation of using RNFL thickness as a criterion for evaluating glaucomatous damage in patients with pPVD.

Effect of vitreomacular adhesion and vitreous gel on age-related reduction of macular thickness: a retrospective observational study

“…Vitreous traction on the macular area may be the reason for the increase in macular thickness. 16 In contrast, the macular thickness decreased in all sectors of the VMS group with the rates ranging from −0.58 to −1.13 μm/year. Multiple regression analyses showed that the presence of VMA was a significant factor that restricted the reduction of the macular thickness in all sectors.…”

Effect of vitreomacular adhesion and vitreous gel on age-related reduction of macular thickness: a retrospective observational study

“…Vitreous traction on the macular area may be the reason for the increase in macular thickness. 16 In contrast, the macular thickness decreased in all sectors of the VMS group with the rates ranging from −0.58 to −1.13 μm/year. Multiple regression analyses showed that the presence of VMA was a significant factor that restricted the reduction of the macular thickness in all sectors.…”

Effect of partial posterior vitreous detachment on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measurements

“…A limitation of the prior time-domain OCT study by Batta et al was that the pPVD group in their study was significantly younger than their control group without pPVD, and therefore the two groups may not have been directly comparable. 17 A strength of our study was that there was no significant difference in demographics between our two comparator groups ( table 1 ). Furthermore, when we adjusted for the non-significant age difference between our two groups based on the expected decline in RNFL thickness with normal ageing, we still found that eyes with pPVD had a significantly thicker RNFL compared with those without pPVD (p=0.05).…”

“… 22 Our findings using peripapillary spectral-domain OCT agree with prior studies that found pPVD to be a common clinical finding on spectral-domain OCT imaging of the macula. 16 23 In addition, we found a similar frequency of pPVD (37%) compared with that found in a study by Batta et al (40%) of peripapillary RNFL thickness measurements among glaucoma suspects using time-domain OCT. 17 Although pPVD is believed to be a common feature on peripapillary spectral-domain OCT RNFL thickness scans, its exact frequency in spectral-domain OCT scans has not been previously quantified until this study. 24 In both our study and the prior time-domain OCT study by Batta et al , the superior and inferior RNFL measurements were found to be significantly thicker in eyes with pPVD compared with those without pPVD, while the nasal and temporal RNFL measurements demonstrated no difference in thickness.…”

Effect of peripapillary retinoschisis on retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measurement in glaucomatous eyes

“…Another possible pathogenic mechanism of peripapillary retinoschisis is vitreopapillary traction. In a previous study, Batta et al 8 reported that the RNFL thickness measured by OCT was greater at the point of vitreous attachment, presumably because of the traction exerted by the vitreous. Hwang and Kim also reported that vitreopapillary traction was associated with increase in RNFL thickness as determined by OCT 9.…”

Effect of vitreomacular adhesion and vitreous gel on age-related reduction of macular thickness: a retrospective observational study

“…Vitreous traction on the macular area may be the reason for the increase in macular thickness. 16 In contrast, the macular thickness decreased in all sectors of the VMS group with the rates ranging from −0.58 to −1.13 μm/year. Multiple regression analyses showed that the presence of VMA was a significant factor that restricted the reduction of the macular thickness in all sectors.…”

Effect of partial posterior vitreous detachment on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measurements

“…A limitation of the prior time-domain OCT study by Batta et al was that the pPVD group in their study was significantly younger than their control group without pPVD, and therefore the two groups may not have been directly comparable. 17 A strength of our study was that there was no significant difference in demographics between our two comparator groups ( table 1 ). Furthermore, when we adjusted for the non-significant age difference between our two groups based on the expected decline in RNFL thickness with normal ageing, we still found that eyes with pPVD had a significantly thicker RNFL compared with those without pPVD (p=0.05).…”

“… 22 Our findings using peripapillary spectral-domain OCT agree with prior studies that found pPVD to be a common clinical finding on spectral-domain OCT imaging of the macula. 16 23 In addition, we found a similar frequency of pPVD (37%) compared with that found in a study by Batta et al (40%) of peripapillary RNFL thickness measurements among glaucoma suspects using time-domain OCT. 17 Although pPVD is believed to be a common feature on peripapillary spectral-domain OCT RNFL thickness scans, its exact frequency in spectral-domain OCT scans has not been previously quantified until this study. 24 In both our study and the prior time-domain OCT study by Batta et al , the superior and inferior RNFL measurements were found to be significantly thicker in eyes with pPVD compared with those without pPVD, while the nasal and temporal RNFL measurements demonstrated no difference in thickness.…”

Effect of peripapillary retinoschisis on retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measurement in glaucomatous eyes

“…Another possible pathogenic mechanism of peripapillary retinoschisis is vitreopapillary traction. In a previous study, Batta et al 8 reported that the RNFL thickness measured by OCT was greater at the point of vitreous attachment, presumably because of the traction exerted by the vitreous. Hwang and Kim also reported that vitreopapillary traction was associated with increase in RNFL thickness as determined by OCT 9.…”

Effect of vitreomacular adhesion and vitreous gel on age-related reduction of macular thickness: a retrospective observational study

“…Vitreous traction on the macular area may be the reason for the increase in macular thickness. 16 In contrast, the macular thickness decreased in all sectors of the VMS group with the rates ranging from −0.58 to −1.13 μm/year. Multiple regression analyses showed that the presence of VMA was a significant factor that restricted the reduction of the macular thickness in all sectors.…”

Effect of partial posterior vitreous detachment on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measurements

“…A limitation of the prior time-domain OCT study by Batta et al was that the pPVD group in their study was significantly younger than their control group without pPVD, and therefore the two groups may not have been directly comparable. 17 A strength of our study was that there was no significant difference in demographics between our two comparator groups ( table 1 ). Furthermore, when we adjusted for the non-significant age difference between our two groups based on the expected decline in RNFL thickness with normal ageing, we still found that eyes with pPVD had a significantly thicker RNFL compared with those without pPVD (p=0.05).…”

“… 22 Our findings using peripapillary spectral-domain OCT agree with prior studies that found pPVD to be a common clinical finding on spectral-domain OCT imaging of the macula. 16 23 In addition, we found a similar frequency of pPVD (37%) compared with that found in a study by Batta et al (40%) of peripapillary RNFL thickness measurements among glaucoma suspects using time-domain OCT. 17 Although pPVD is believed to be a common feature on peripapillary spectral-domain OCT RNFL thickness scans, its exact frequency in spectral-domain OCT scans has not been previously quantified until this study. 24 In both our study and the prior time-domain OCT study by Batta et al , the superior and inferior RNFL measurements were found to be significantly thicker in eyes with pPVD compared with those without pPVD, while the nasal and temporal RNFL measurements demonstrated no difference in thickness.…”

Effect of peripapillary retinoschisis on retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measurement in glaucomatous eyes

“…Another possible pathogenic mechanism of peripapillary retinoschisis is vitreopapillary traction. In a previous study, Batta et al 8 reported that the RNFL thickness measured by OCT was greater at the point of vitreous attachment, presumably because of the traction exerted by the vitreous. Hwang and Kim also reported that vitreopapillary traction was associated with increase in RNFL thickness as determined by OCT 9.…”