Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS)

Abstract

Purpose: : To study retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

Methods: : 120 patients with OSAS were analyzed and compared with an age-matched control group of 104 subjects. Patients with OSAS underwent sleep studies to determine the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) during night sleep and were classified as having moderate (RDI, 20-39) or severe (RDI > 40) sleep apnea. The RNFL thickness was assessed by optical coherence tomography (StratusOCT) using the fast RNFL thickness (3.4) scan acquisition protocol.

Results: : Compared with the control group, eyes with OSAS showed a thinner RNFL in the 360 degrees average measurement (101.52+/-11.3µ, 101.38+/-11.3µ for control right eye and left eye respectively and 97.86+/-12.03µ, 96.5+/-12.13µ for OSAS in the right eye and left eye respectively, p=0.02) and in the superior (p=0.034) and inferior (p=0.03) quadrants in the right eye and superior (p=0.03) and temporal (p=0.02) quadrants in the left eye. There were no correlations between the RDI and any of the RNFL measurements on the OSAS eyes.

Conclusions: : RNFL thickness was not correlated with the severity of OSAS; however, the thickness of RNFL was reduced in patients with OSAS compared to controls by less than 5µ (5%). The clinical significance of this change needs to be determined.

Keywords: imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • nerve fiber layer • optic disc