Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer in Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder

Abstract

The objectives of the present study are to determine the effects of alcohol use on the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and macular thickness of abstinent patients with alcohol use disorders (AUD) and to assess whether it correlates with alcohol consumption and/or cognitive impairment. This was a prospective, observational study that included 21 patients (42 eyes) and 21 controls (42 eyes). Patients met the criteria for early remission AUD at the moment of inclusion. We used optical coherence tomography to assess retinal thickness. Macular thickness in the group of AUD patients was lower in all quadrants (p < 0.05), with the exception of the peripheral and central. Regarding the nerve fiber layer in the macular and papilla areas, we found no significant differences. At the retina ganglion cell layer and in the nerve fiber of the macula, we found significant differences in all quadrants (p < 0.05), with the exception of the superior and superior nasal area, for the right eye. For the left eye, the only differences were found in the lower quadrant. Finally, when comparing the AUD patients to the controls, we found significant reductions in the ganglion cell layer of the macula in all quadrants in the former. There was a significant correlation between these findings and cognitive impairment (measured with the Test de Detección de Deterioro Cognitivo en Alcoholismo (TEDCA)), but not with alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption is correlated with retinal harm and related cognitive decline.

Decrease Retinal Thickness in Patients with Chronic Migraine Evaluated by Optical Coherence Tomography

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Detection of Neurological and Ophthalmological Pathologies with Optical Coherence Tomography Using Retinal Thickness Measurements: A Bibliometric Study

“…The high resolution and different intensities of reflected light allow an almost histological segmentation of the different layers of the retina, as well as other anatomic structures. During the past two decades, OCT technology has been used to evaluate a variety of optic neuropathies, including glaucoma and non-glaucomatous optic neuropathies, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases (NDD) [2][3][4][5].…”

The Impact of Optic Nerve Disorders on Sleep Wake

“…It increases oxidative stress in the mitochondria of RGCs and photoreceptors (556), increasing the risk of visual dysfunction in individuals with susceptible genotypes (611)(612)(613). Clinical presentations of longstanding high alcohol consumption comprise loss of RGCs, depletion of RNFL and GCL, macular atrophy and cognitive deterioration (614). An relationship between chronic alcohol use and POAG has been described, which can also lead to secondary damage to RGCs (608).…”