June 2021
Volume 62, Issue 8
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2021
The Belfast Eye and Multiple Sclerosis Study
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Stephanie Gemma McIlwaine
    Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Antrim, United Kingdom
  • Lajos Csincsik
    Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Antrim, United Kingdom
  • Rachel Coey
    Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Antrim, United Kingdom
  • Luping Wang
    Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Antrim, United Kingdom
  • Denise Fitzgerald
    Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Antrim, United Kingdom
  • Jill Moffatt
    Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Antrim, United Kingdom
  • Adam M Dubis
    Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, London, United Kingdom
  • Tunde Peto
    Centre of Public Health, Royal Victoria Hospital, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • Imre Lengyel
    Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Antrim, United Kingdom
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Stephanie McIlwaine, OPTOS PLC (F); Lajos Csincsik, OPTOS PLC (F); Rachel Coey, None; Luping Wang, None; Denise Fitzgerald, None; Jill Moffatt, None; Adam Dubis, None; Tunde Peto, OPTOS PLC (F); Imre Lengyel, OPTOS PLC (F)
  • Footnotes
    Support  None
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2021, Vol.62, 2402. doi:
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      Stephanie Gemma McIlwaine, Lajos Csincsik, Rachel Coey, Luping Wang, Denise Fitzgerald, Jill Moffatt, Adam M Dubis, Tunde Peto, Imre Lengyel; The Belfast Eye and Multiple Sclerosis Study. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2021;62(8):2402.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose : Multiple Sclerosis (MS) causes progressive neurodegeneration that is characterised by demyelination of neurons. MS also affects the visual system, including changes in the retina. For this reason, the Belfast Eye and Multiple Sclerosis (BEAMS) study aimed to comprehensively examine whether the retina could become an imaging and functional surrogate for the development and progression of MS.

Methods : Participants are enrolled and were imaged (17 patients with MS and ten controls). A range of retinal imaging methodologies, optical coherence tomography (OCT; Heidelberg Spectralis) and adaptive optics (AO; Image Eyes RTX1), were reported. OCT images were analysed by on-device segmentation software (Heyex) for peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL), macular ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer (GCL-IPL) and outer nuclear layer (ONL) thicknesses. AO images were analysed by the semi-automated cone density detection algorithm (AODetect) on images captured at 2, 4 and 6o eccentricity. Control (ctrl) participants were compared to patients with (MSON) or without optic neuritis (MSnON), and the data obtained were analysed using SPSS and visualised using GraphPad Prism.

Results : The cohorts were statistically balanced for age and gender. Preliminary results suggest significant thinning (p<0.0001) of the pRNFL and macular GCL-IPL in MSON (pRNFL: 81.23±3.18μm; GCL-IPL: 59.73±2.47µm) but no significant changes (p>0.05) were observed in MSnON (pRNFL: 96.78±2.18µm; GCL-IPL: 10.94±1.8µm) compared to ctrl (pRNFL: 97.16±2.62μm; GCL-IPL: 73.50±3.18μm). No change was detected in the ONL thickness between all groups (ctrl 69.20±3.28 vs MSON 68.02±2.29vs MSnON 68.81±1.76 p>0.05). There was a significant decrease (p=0.002) of cone densities on AO images in patients with both MSON (21909±1166/mm2) and MSnON (22286±1005/mm2) compared to ctrl (24355±1370/mm2).

Conclusions : The preliminary analysis of the images of the BEAMS study replicates the previously reported thinning of the inner retinal layers. Despite no measurable change in photoreceptor layer thickness on OCT images, here we report, the first time, a significant loss of cone numbers in the macula in MS. Whether the loss in cones leads to functional changes is yet to be determined. Our preliminary results suggest a need for a comprehensive analysis of retinal changes to detection and monitor the progression of MS.

This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.

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