Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thicknesses in Three Different Optic Nerve Head Size Groups Measured by Cirrus Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thicknesses in three different optic nerve head (ONH) size groups measured by Cirrus spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Materials and Methods: Between January and March 2013, 253 eyes of 253 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study (mean age: 42.7±7.4 years [28-62 years]; 121 men and 132 women). The patients were divided into 3 groups according to ONH size: 77 patients in the “small ONH” group (ONH area 1.97 mm2). Results: There were significant differences in superior (p=0.008), inferior (p=0.004) and average RNFL thickness (p=0.001) between the small, medium and large ONH groups. Positive correlations between ONH size and inferior/average RNFL thicknesses were significant but very weak (r=0.150, p=0.017 and r=0.157, p=0.013 respectively). Conclusion: RNFL thickness as measured by Cirrus OCT is positively correlated with ONH size and the differences in RNFL thickness were statistically significant between groups. This correlation and difference may be the result of a varying distance between the circular scan and the ONH margin.

Keywords

• Retinal nerve fiber layer
• optic nerve head
• optical coherence tomography