Optic nerve head, retinal nerve fiber layer, and macular thickness measurements in young patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

PURPOSE: To evaluate optic nerve head (ONH) parameters, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, and macular thickness by using Cirrus HD spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) in young patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

METHODS: ONH parameters, RNFL thickness, and macular thickness were measured and compared between 36 eyes from 36 young RP patients (RP group; mean age, 23.08 years) and 70 eyes from 70 healthy young subjects (control group; mean age, 22.66 years) using Cirrus HD-OCT. The effects of the presence of optic disc pallor and the severity of visual field (VF) defects on OCT parameters were also evaluated.

RESULTS: The RP group had a greater rim area, smaller cup-to-disc ratio, smaller cup volume, thicker RNFL, and thinner macula than the control group (p ≤ 0.024). ONH parameters were not affected by the presence of optic disc pallor (p ≥ 0.239). Eyes with more severe VF defects (mean deviation ≤ -13.88 dB) had thinner average macular areas than eyes with less severe VF defects (mean deviation ≥ -13.88 dB; p = 0.002). Meanwhile, the ONH parameters and average peripapillary RNFL thickness were not significantly different between the two groups (p ≥ 0.275).

CONCLUSIONS: Young eyes with RP exhibited different OCT parameters compared to healthy eyes. Among the various OCT parameters, only macular thickness was associated with disease severity. These findings should be considered when evaluating young RP patients.