Comparison of glaucomatous from non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy using Bruch's membrane opening minimum rim width optical coherence tomography measurements.

PURPOSE: To compare glaucomatous from non-glaucomatous optic atrophy using optical coherence tomography (OCT) based on the measurement values of Bruch's membrane opening minimum rim width (BMO-MRW), which is a difficult task otherwise due to their varied course of disease progression, treatment protocols, and systemic association to visual impairment.

METHODS: This study was conducted in 40 eyes, comprising 20 eyes with non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy (NGON) and 20 eyes with glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON). All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination followed by an OCT optic disc scan to calculate the measurement of BMO-MRW.

RESULTS: The 5-fold cross-validated area under the curve for GON versus NGON from logistic regression models was 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.86-1.00) using BMO-MRW values from all sectors. The results revealed that the measurements were significantly lesser in GON than in NGON patients.

CONCLUSION: Hence, OCT-based BMO-MRW values could be used as an additional test to compare glaucomatous with non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy patients, especially in cases of high clinical suspicion.