Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer in Untreated Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome: A Case-Control Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate peripapillary choroidal thickness (PPCT), central macular choroidal thickness (CMCT), and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in untreated patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).

METHODS: This prospective, randomized, and comparative study was conducted in a university ophthalmology clinic. 106 eyes of 106 patients with OSAHS and 44 eyes of 44 healthy individuals were evaluated in this study. Only right eyes were evaluated. The patients with OSAHS were divided into three groups as mild (group 1), moderate (group 2), and severe (group 3) according to apnea-hypopnea index. The PPCT, CMCT, and RNFL measurements were performed by using spectral domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging technique. The main parameters assessed were PPCT-Temporal, PPCT-Superior, PPCT-Nasal, PPCT-Inferior quadrants, CMCT, and RNFL thicknesses.

RESULTS: The PPCT of all quadrants was significantly thicker in the control group compared with the moderate and severe subgroups of OSAHS (p < 0.05). The PPCT-Superior and PPCT-Temporal were significantly thinner in the mild subgroup compared with the control group (p = 0.003 and p = 0.028, respectively). There was no difference between the control and mild groups regarding the RNFL thicknesses except nasal RNFL and inferotemporal RNFL which are thinner in the mild group. The RNFL thicknesses of all quadrants were significantly thicker in the control group compared with moderate and severe subgroups (p < 0.05). The CMCT was significantly thicker in the control group compared with all subgroups of OSAHS (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: In OSAHS patients, PPCT, CMCT, and RNFL were significantly thinner compared with the control group. These results may explain why OSAHS patients are prone to normotensive glaucoma.