Rates of retinal nerve fibre layer thickness change in glaucoma patients and control subjects

Abstract

Purpose To examine the rates of retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) change in glaucoma patients and healthy, age-similar control subjects with three techniques: scanning laser polarimetry with variable corneal compensation (VCC) and enhanced corneal compensation (ECC), and timedomain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods Sixty-one patients and thirty-three controls were examined with each technique and with standard automated perimetry (SAP) every 6 months. Rates of global RNFLT change and SAP mean deviation (MD) change were estimated with linear mixedeffects models. Results The median (interquartile range) baseline age was 64.4 (58.2, 71.0) years for patients and 62.4 (56.3, 70.1) years for controls (P ¼ 0.56). There was a median of seven examinations over 3.1 years for patients and six examinations in 3.0 years for controls. Baseline visual field MD and RNFLT for all imaging modalities were significantly lower (Po0.01) in patients compared with controls. Rates of RNFLT change were not significantly different between patients and controls (PZ0.19). Mean rates of VCC-measured RNFLT change were À 0.18 and À 0.37 lm per year in patients and controls, whereas the respective figures for ECC and OCT were À 0.13 and À 0.31 lm per year, and 0.04 and 0.61 lm per year. Mean rates of MD change were À 0.20 and 0.03 dB per year in patients and controls, respectively (P ¼ 0.01). Conclusion Rates of RNFLT change in glaucoma patients were not statistically different from control subjects for any modality. A significantly negative rate of MD change in patients suggests a genuine, continued deterioration in these patients not reflected by RNFLT changes.

Influence of coherence length, signal-to-noise ratio, log transform, and low-pass filtering on layer thickness assessment with OCT in the retina

“…In that study, the mean RGCL thickness in the inferior half of the macular region scan was the best metric to discriminate between glaucoma patients and controls. The average rate of change of the peripapillar RNFL thickness was reported to be typically 1 μm/year in glaucoma patients and about half that value in controls [23][24][25]; similar values were found for the GCC [26]. Hence, the biases observed in the current study are at least of the same order of magnitude as clinically relevant differences between glaucoma patients and controls.…”

Bruch's Membrane Opening Minimum Rim Width and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in a Normal White Population

“…There are a limited number of studies with actual longitudinal ONH or RNFLT data in healthy subjects, 17–19 most with relatively small sample sizes and short follow-up periods. A likely limitation of these studies is imprecise estimates of the effects of age.…”

Use of Optical Coherence Tomography and Electroretinography to Evaluate Retinal Pathology in a Mouse Model of Autoimmune Uveitis

“…OCT measurement of retinal thickness is utilized widely in clinical follow-up and diagnosis of ocular diseases, such as glaucoma [22], uveitis associated with multiple sclerosis [23], Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease [24], and macular edema [25]. We demonstrate that in addition to being an alternative to histopathology for visualizing ocular structures at peak disease, assessment of retinal thickness throughout the disease course provides a useful method to discriminate among the different stages of the disease in the mouse EAU model.…”