Abstract
Purpose:
Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO), Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and micropeimetry (MP-1) were used to evaluate foveal structure and function in children with unilateral amblyopia.
Methods:
A total of 30 children with Unilateral amblyopia were included (16 males and 14 females, mean age of 10 years old [8, 12]) in this prospective study. Mean best-corrected visual acuity was 20/50 (range, 20/63 to 20/40) in the amblyopic eyes and 20/21 (range, 20/20 to 20/25) in the fellow eye. AOSLO was used to obtain high resolution images of the macular cone mosaic that was 1°eccentric in the horizontal, temporal retina, superior and inferior of the macular; Macular thickness of different retinal layers and foveal volume were assessed by OCT; MP-1 was used to determine macular sensitivity. Other examinations included the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), refractive error, axial length and corneal curvature and so on.
Results:
Mean foveal thickness was declined in amblyopic versus fellow eyes. Mean foveal volume and RNFLT did not differ significantly between eyes. The regularity of cone mosaic in the macular was disturbed that the percent of hexagonal/triangular packing of the cone mosaic decreased. The cone density of the amblyopia eyes were higher, while the nearest neighbor distance (NND) was smaller than the fellow eyes .Macular sensitivity was significantly greater in the fellow eye. RNFLT and macular sensitivity, regularity of cone arrangement and macular sensitivity was found to be significantly correlated.
Conclusions:
Amblyopic eyes had increased macular thickness, caused disturbance of cone arrangement and decreased the retinal sensitivity, whose differences of qualitative and quantitative in macular features possibly implied signs of immaturity compared with normal fellow eyes. AOSLO as a non-invasive technique is able to assess microstructure in vivo retina which can assist in the diagnosis and administer amblyopia.