Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness Analysis Using Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography in Glaucoma Patients: A Broader Approach.

AIMS: To evaluate and compare peripapillary choroidal thickness (PPCT) in a wide area around the optic disk and various choroidal established zones in healthy controls and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients using a new swept-source (SS) optical coherence tomography (OCT) device. METHODS: A total of 246 eyes were finally included in this observational, prospective, cross-sectional study: 111 healthy controls and 135 POAG patients. The healthy subjects were divided into 2 populations: the teaching population (25 used to establish choroidal zones) and the validating population (86 used for comparing choroidal thickness with POAG patients). A 26 × 26 cube grid centered on the optic disk was generated using an SS-OCT to automatically measure choroidal thickness. Four choroidal zones were established and used to compare PPCT between healthy controls and POAG patients. RESULTS: PPCT was significantly thinner in zones 3 and 4 of the POAG group. The choroid exhibited a similar pattern in controls and patients with POAG; it was thickest in the superior region, followed in order by the temporal, nasal, and inferior regions. CONCLUSIONS: Peripapillary choroidal tissue shows a concentric pattern in both groups, and glaucoma patients present with peripapillary choroidal thinning compared with healthy subjects, especially in areas further away from the optic disk.

Relationship between Visual Dysfunction and Retinal Changes in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

AIM: To evaluate structural changes in the retina and their correlation with visual dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis. METHODS: Patients with multiple sclerosis (n = 84) and healthy controls (n = 84) underwent structural evaluation of the retinal nerve fiber layer, and macular and ganglion cell layer thicknesses using Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). All subjects underwent high and low contrast visual acuity, color vision (using the Farnsworth and L´Anthony desaturated D15 color tests), and contrast sensitivity vision using the Pelli Robson chart and CSV 1000E test. RESULTS: Macular, retinal nerve fiber layer, and ganglion cell layer thinning was observed in multiple sclerosis patients compared to healthy controls (p<0.05). High- and low-contrast visual acuity and contrast sensitivity vision at four different spatial frequencies were significantly reduced in comparison with healthy subjects (p<0.05). Macular, retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell layer measurements correlated with high and low contrast visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity vision. Contrast sensitivity vision was the functional parameter that most strongly correlated with the structural measurements in multiple sclerosis and was associated with ganglion cell layer measurements. The L´Anthony color vision score (age-corrected color confusion index) was associated with macular measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with multiple sclerosis had visual dysfunction that correlated with structural changes evaluated by SD-OCT. Macular and ganglion cell layer measurements may be good indicators of visual impairment in multiple sclerosis patients.