Abstract
Purpose: :
To measure and compare the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness of normal children and glaucoma suspected children using optical coherence tomography (OCT)
Methods: :
One hundred four eyes of 52 normal children and sixty seven eyes of 34 glaucoma suspected children ages 6 to 18 years presenting to the Ophthalmology center at the Inha University Hospital. The RNFL thickness was measured with optical coherence tomography (OCT). Patient cooperation and signal strength of the OCT scans were assessed. The eyes were examined conventional ophthalmological physical examination, Humphrey 30-2 visual fields, optic disc photographs, Goldmann applanation tonometer by a glaucoma specialist in a masked fashion. The mean, superior, inferior, lateral, nasal RNFL thicknesses were measured by OCT in two groups
Results: :
Mean RNFL thickness (±SD) of normal and glaucoma suspected eyes have a significant difference (112.2±9.2µm vs 128.7±16.8µm, P<0.001). Also, compared with the normal group, glaucoma suspected eyes showed a thinner RNFL thickness in the superior (143.8±16.3µm vs 128.7±16.8µm, P<0.001), nasal (82.2±18.1µm vs 69.3±17.4µm, P<0.001), and inferior quadrants (136.6±19.5µm vs 127.5±20.4µm, P=0.002); no significant changes were detected in the temporal quadrant (85.3±18.6µm vs 84.8±20.5µm, P=0.875)
Conclusions: :
The mean, superior, nasal, inferior RNFL thickness as measured using OCT showed a significant correlation with glaucoma. RNFL thickness in children measured by OCT may be useful for diagnosis and tracking of glaucoma in children
Keywords: optic nerve • depth • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound)