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Evaluation of retinal fiber thickness and visual pathways with optic coherence tomography and pattern visual evoked potential in different clinical stages of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the possible changes in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) by optic coherence tomography and in the amplitudes and peak times (PTs) in pattern visual evoked potential (pVEP) and to compare them in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

Methods

This prospective study included patients with mild OSAS (n = 30), severe OSAS (n = 30), and 30 control subjects. All patients were assessed after obtaining the approval from our hospital’s ethics committee.

Results

There was no difference in age and gender between the groups (p = 0.184, p = 0.954). By analysis of variance, there was a significant difference in RNFL values among patients with mild OSAS, severe OSAS, and control for three measures of RNFL (average p = 0.044, nasal p = 0.003, inferior p = 0.027). In severe OSAS group, nasal and inferior quadrants of the RNFL were found to be thinner than the control group (p = 0.008, p = 0.031). We showed that the PT of P100 and N145 was prolonged in severe OSAS compared to the control group (p < 0.001) and that PT of P100 was prolonged in mild OSAS compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The amplitude of N75-P100 was significantly decreased in patients with both severe OSAS and mild OSAS compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Correlation of RNFL and pVEP values showed that the inferior quadrant RNFL thickness is correlated with both P100 and N145 PTs (r = 0.271*, p = 0.036 and r = 0.290*, p = 0.043, respectively) and N75-P100 amplitude (r = 0.378**, p = 0.003) in severe OSAS group.

Conclusions

In mild and severe stages of the disease, edema and inflammation were evident and VEP PT and amplitudes were affected in both groups. Furthermore, thinning in RNFL in the severe stage of the disease might be associated with higher atrophy levels and prolonged exposure to hypoxia.

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Funding

This study was supported by Scientific Researches Project of Celal Bayar University (2018-105).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Celal Bayar University Medical School Hafsa Sultan Hospital, Manisa, Turkey

    Ayşın Kısabay Ak, Melike Batum, Deniz Selçuki & Hikmet Yılmaz

  2. Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Celal Bayar University Medical School Hafsa Sultan Hospital, Manisa, Turkey

    Tuğba Göktalay

  3. Department of Eye Diseases, Celal Bayar University Medical School Hafsa Sultan Hospital, Manisa, Turkey

    Hüseyin Mayali & Emin Kurt

Authors
  1. Ayşın Kısabay Ak
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  2. Melike Batum
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  3. Tuğba Göktalay
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  6. Deniz Selçuki
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Melike Batum.

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Conflict of interest

Ass. Prof. Ayşın Kısabay Ak declares that she has no conflict of interest. Dr.Melike Batum declares that she has no conflict of interest. Ass. Prof. Tuğba Göktalay declares that she has no conflict of interest. Dr. Hüseyin Mayalı declares that he has no conflict of interest. Prof. Dr. Deniz Selçuki declares that she has no conflict of interest. Prof. Dr. Emin Kurt declares that he has no conflict of interest. Prof. Dr. Hikmet Yılmaz declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in the studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Celal Bayar University Medical Faculty Ethics Committee (Approval Date: 14 March 2018, Approval Number: 20.478.486) and with Helsinki Declaration (1964) and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Celal Bayar University Medicine Faculty and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments.

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This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Kısabay Ak, A., Batum, M., Göktalay, T. et al. Evaluation of retinal fiber thickness and visual pathways with optic coherence tomography and pattern visual evoked potential in different clinical stages of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Doc Ophthalmol 141, 33–43 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-020-09749-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-020-09749-0

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