Abstract
Purpose :
Cystoid macular edema is a known cause of central vision loss in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients as the disease progresses. A retrospective chart review was performed to investigate whether clinical and/or spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) data could be used to correlate with visual acuity outcomes.
Methods :
The medical records of 60 eyes from 30 patients from the University of Florida Eye Center database were reviewed. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), total macular volume (TMV), presence or absence of epiretinal membrane, and presence or absence of ellipsoid zone in the fovea and in the macula (EZ) at the first visit and one year follow up were collected and analyzed. The relationship between predictors and outcome variables were assessed using simple correlation analysis.
Results :
The mean age of the 30 patients (9 male, 21 female) included in the study was 46.8±18.9 (range, 10-80 years). Sex does not correlate with measurements. Aging has a negative effect on BCVA and EZ fovea. BCVA at 1st visit was significantly correlated with CRT (r= -0.38437, p=0.0024) and EZ foveal sparing at the 1st visit (r= 0.65218, p<0.0001). CRT is an indicator of CME and has a negative effect on EZ fovea. ERM has no correlation with BCVA, CME, CRT, TMV or EZ. Multiple regression analysis showed that TMV at the first visit is significantly correlated with BCVA changes at one year visit (r= -0.31972, p=0.0128).
Conclusions :
The results of our study suggest that in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, visual acuity outcomes are correlated with CRT and the condition of the EZ fovea. Thinner retina has EZ fovea depleted and worse BCVA. The baseline TMV can serve as a predictor of BCVA change at the end of one year. Eyes with higher baseline TMV end up with worse BCVA after one year. Aging is correlated with decreasing BCVA and disruption/disappearance of EZ fovea.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.