Macular outer nuclear layer, ellipsoid zone and outer photoreceptor segment band thickness, axial length and other determinants

Abstract

The study aims to assess the thickness of the retinal outer nuclear layer (ONL), ellipsoid zone (EZ) and photoreceptor outer segment (POS) band in various macular regions and its associations with axial length and other parameters. Participants of the Beijing Eye Study 2011 underwent a series of examinations including spectral-domain optical coherence tomography of the macula. The current study included 2213 participants without retinal or optic nerve diseases (age: 61.7 ± 8.4 years; range 50–93 years); axial length: 23.15 ± 0.95 mm; range 18.96–29.15 mm). The ONL (fovea: 98.9 ± 8.8 µm), EZ (fovea: 24.1 ± 0.5 µm) and POS band (fovea: 24.3 ± 3.5 µm) were the thickest (P < 0.001) in the fovea (defined as the thinnest central point), followed by the temporal inner, nasal inner, inferior inner, superior inner, inferior outer, temporal outer, nasal outer, and superior outer region. In multivariable analysis, a thicker retinal ONL was associated (correlation coefficient r: 0.40) with shorter axial length (beta: − 0.14; P < 0.001) and shorter disc–fovea distance (beta: − 0.10; P = 0.001), after adjusting for younger age (beta: − 0.26; P < 0.001), male sex (beta: 0.24; P < 0.001), lower serum cholesterol concentration (beta: − 0.05; P = 0.04), and thicker subfoveal choroidal thickness (beta: 0.08; P < 0.001). The POS thickness increased with shorter axial length (beta: − 0.06; P < 0.001) and shorter optic disc–fovea distance (beta: − 0.05; P = 0.03), after adjusting for younger age (beta: − 0.34; P < 0.001), male sex (beta: 0.15; P < 0.001), and thicker subfoveal choroidal thickness (beta: 0.24; P < 0.001). As a conclusion, the photoreceptor ONL, EZ and POS band vary in thickness between different macular regions and differ in their correlations with axial length, disc–fovea distance, age, sex, and subfoveal choroidal thickness. The ONL thickness decrease with longer axial length and longer disc–fovea distance may point to an axial elongation-associated retinal stretching in the macula.

Lipid Metabolism Regulators Are the Possible Determinant for Characteristics of Myopic Human Scleral Stroma Fibroblasts (HSSFs)

“…Further analysis using an insulin microarray resulted that the levels of insulin and those related factors including IGF2, IGF-2R, IGF binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), IGFBP-2, IGFBP-3, IGFBP-4 and IGFBP-6 were markedly increased in patients with pathogenic myopia as compared with the controls [ 59 ]. Alternatively, the multivariable analysis using 2213 participants without retinal or optic nerve diseases underwent a series of measurements including spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, which indicated that a thicker retinal outer nuclear layer was associated (correlation coefficient r: 0.40) with shorter axial length and shorter disc–fovea distance after adjusting for younger age, male sex (beta: 0.24; p < 0.001), lower serum cholesterol concentration (beta: −0.05; p = 0.04) and thicker subfoveal choroidal thickness [ 60 ]. Therefore, this collective evidence rationally supported not only that systemic glycemic regulation factors were indeed involved in the pathogenesis of myopia but also the current investigation suggesting that SREBP-related regulation of FA, TG and cholesterol synthesis may be one of the critical factors to induce AL elongation via HSSFs in myopic eyes.…”

Cone Density Is Correlated to Outer Segment Length and Retinal Thickness in the Human Foveola

“… 30 A second study correlated the average ISOS layer thickness of approximately 250 OCT scans, corrected for age and sex, with the average histological cone density data. 31 Correction for age and sex is important when matching against normative data, because it was found that cone density, 28 , 32 as well as OSL, 33 , 34 decrease with age, and RT depends on sex, with males tending to have a thicker retina. 35 , 36 This approach was, however, unable to consider individual differences in cone density, which are shown to be significant (see next paragraph).…”

The Interplay between Neurotransmitters and Calcium Dynamics in Retinal Synapses during Development, Health, and Disease

“…The general structure of the human retina is shown schematically in Figure 1. Starting from the innermost layer that is closer to the anterior part of the face and the vitreous humor that fills the eye, the retina is composed of the inner limiting membrane (ILM), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer, inner plexiform layer (IPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer plexiform layer (OPL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), outer limiting membrane (OLM), the ellipsoid zone (EZ), the photoreceptor outer segments (POSs), and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) [36]. As described by Masland et al (2012), each layer is composed of different cell types with unique functions relevant to different aspects of vision [1].…”