The assessment of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and macular ganglion cell layer changes in obese children: a cross-sectional study using optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between the obesity and optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters.

METHODS: We studied 54 obese and 33 non-obese children and adolescents. Obesity was defined as BMI higher than 95th percentile (BMI SDS > 1.64). OCT measurements were performed in all participants. Anthropometric and biochemical variables were compared with OCT parameters of 174 eyes.

RESULTS: In obese children, in all quadrants retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thicknesses were significantly lower than non-obese children, and also ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thicknesses in inferior and superiortemporal quadrants were significantly lower in the obese group. BMI SDS, insulin, HOMA-IR and triglyceride levels were negatively correlated with RNFL thickness, significantly (r = -0.386, p < 0.001; r = -0.229, p = 0.002; r = -0.188, p = 0.013; and r = -0.301, p = 0.000; respectively) in all subjects.

CONCLUSIONS: Thinning in RNFL was detected in normal-looking discs of obese children, and this thinning negatively correlated with BMI SDS. Further studies including large series are needed to clarify whether obesity has an effect on RNFL thickness.