Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate when and how fast the photoreceptors are damaged in eyes with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).
Methods: :
We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of 58 eyes of 58 patients with CSC and who have foveal detachment. We measured the outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). The onset of the symptom was regarded as the development of the disease.
Results: :
Patients were divided into three groups in terms of the time of examination from the onset. Twenty-five eyes were seen within one month (Group A), 17 eyes from one month to six months (Group B), and 16 eyes more than six months (Group C). The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution of each group were -0.027±0.44, 0.066±0.16, and 0.31±0.34, respectively. The mean ONL thickness were 82.4±9.6µm, 70.6±12.3µm, and 54.5±16.1µm, respectively. Visual acuity was poor in Group C compared to Group A (p=0.015) while there was no significant difference between Group A and Group B. The ONL was significantly thinner in Group B than in Group A (p=0.001), and in Group C than in Group B (p=0.003). In Group A, the mean thickness of ONL in fellow eyes was 88.2±8.2µm and that was significantly thicker than the affected eyes (p=0.002).Among 25 eyes in Group A, 17 eyes could be re-examined between 3 months and 6 months. The mean thickness of ONL significantly decreased from 81.9±9.1µm to 75.0±10.6µm in this population (p=0.020).
Conclusions: :
In eyes with CSC, photoreceptor loss starts in the early stage of the disease and the photoreceptor layer thickness seems to decease gradually.
Keywords: imaging/image analysis: clinical • retina: distal (photoreceptors, horizontal cells, bipolar cells)