Decreased ganglion cell complex in eyes with macular reticular pseudodrusen

Abstract

Purpose : Eyes with macular reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) were imaged with swept-source OCT angiography (SS-OCTA) to determine if the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness were compromised in eyes with RPD compared with normal eyes and eyes with soft drusen.

Methods : In this retrospective cohort study of a prospective OCT natural history study, 6×6 mm fovea-centered SS-OCTA images were acquired using an instrument with a central wavelength of 1060 nm (PLEX® Elite 9000; ZEISS, Dublin, CA) running at 100 kHz. RNFL and GCC slabs were obtained by an automated multilayer algorithm and manually corrected when necessary. Mean RNFL thickness and GCC thickness were measured based on the segmented slab within a 5 mm diameter circle centered on the fovea (Fig 1). Comparisons of RNFL thickness and GCC thickness between eyes with RPD, eyes with soft drusen, and normal eyes were studied by the two-sample t-test respectively.

Results : A total of 90 eyes were included, of which 30 eyes had RPD, 30 eyes had soft drusen, and 30 eyes were normal. The three groups were age-matched (ANOVA P > 0.05), with the mean age being 72.87 ± 8.68 years in the normal group, 72.37 ± 6.18 years in the soft drusen group, and 73.57 ± 8.20 years in the RPD group. RNFL thickness in the RPD eyes showed no significant differences compared with the normal eyes (P=0.085) or eyes with soft drusen (P=0.56). GCC thickness was significantly decreased in RPD eyes compared with normal eyes (P=0.027), but not decreased when compared with soft drusen eyes (P=0.82). There were no significant differences in both RNFL thickness and GCC thickness in eyes with soft drusen compared with normal eyes (P=0.29 in RNFL thickness, P=0.13 in GCC thickness).

Conclusions : Eyes with macular RPD have decreased GCC thickness, but not RNFL thickness, compared with normal eyes. There were no significant differences in either GCC thickness or RNFL thickness in eyes with soft drusen compared with normal eyes. This study may shed light on the relationship between RPD and other neurodegenerative diseases besides age-related macular degeneration.

This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.