Abstract
Purpose :
Much research is being conducted to find potential biomarkers of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), which occurs in many contact and collision sports. The aim of this comparative study was to assess for potential retinal sequalae of prior and repeated mTBIs.
Methods :
Active and retired athletes of contact and collision sports with a history of repeated mTBIs, non-athletes with prior mTBIs, and control subjects without prior injuries were recruited. Participants were separated into two groups based on their exposure to prior mTBIs. Each participant underwent bilateral dilated retinal examinations, ultra-widefield (UWF) fundal photography, fundus fluorescein angiography and macular optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans. Participants were also instructed to maintain their gaze towards different directions to capture far-peripheral UWF-OCT scans superiorly, temporally, inferiorly and nasally. Retinal images were analysed for abnormalities, including retinal detachments or retinoschisis. Recruitment of participants is ongoing.
Results :
32 participants were recruited. There were no cases of retinal detachment or dialysis. Peripheral cystoid degeneration was detected on OCT in 21 participants (65.6%). The far-temporal quadrant accounted for 74.3% of cystoid degeneration. Individuals with prior mTBIs had a greater proportion of OCT quadrants containing cystoid degeneration, compared to those without prior mTBIs (28.2% vs. 17.3%, p = 0.11). In these individuals, cysts took up a greater but non-significant vertical height (202.8 vs. 156 microns, p = 0.1). Those with prior mTBIs also had significantly thicker far-peripheral retinas as measured on OCT (265.2 vs. 225.2 microns, *p = 0.02).
Conclusions :
To our knowledge, this is the first report suggesting that the pathogenesis of peripheral cystoid degeneration may be influenced by mTBIs. Contact and collision sports athletes with multiple mTBIs and non-athletes with prior mTBIs have thicker far-peripheral retinas, when compared to those without prior mTBIs. This is influenced by possessing taller vertical cystic spaces and higher rates of cystoid degeneration. Severe cystoid degeneration may represent a structural biomarker of prior mTBIs.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.