RNFL thickness characteristics linked to myopic disc tilt

Peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) is associated with the degree of myopic optic disc tilt, claims a study in the Journal of Glaucoma.

Dr Young Hoon Hwang et al., Department of Ophthalmology, Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Seongnam, Korea, assessed 225 eyes of 225 healthy participants with varying degrees of refractive errors. Each participant underwent ophthalmic examinations such as refractive error, axial length and optic disc area measurement.

The Cirrus HD OCT was used to obtain cross-sectional images to determine the degree of horizontal/vertical optic disc tilt. The Cirrus HD-OCT was also used to measure average, superior, nasal, inferior, and temporal quadrant thickness and superior/inferior peak locations of the peripapillary RNFL.

The temporal area was especially linked with optic disc tilt and the characteristics of the peripapillary RNFL thickness. Eyes with more temporally tilted optic discs had higher myopia, greater axial length, a thinner average, superior nasal and inferior RNFL and a thicker temporal RNFL. According to the multivariate analysis eyes with more temporally tilted optic discs presented with a thicker temporal RNFL.