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Thinner retinal nerve fibre layer in healthy myopic eyes with thinner central corneal thickness

  • Glaucoma
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Thinner central corneal thickness (CCT) is a risk factor for conversion from ocular hypertension to glaucoma and for disease progression. However, little is known about the relationship between CCT and characteristics of the optic nerve and the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) in non-glaucomatous eyes. Because myopic eyes may pose diagnostic challenges when assessed for glaucoma, characterising the relationship between CCT and RNFL in these eyes is clinically relevant. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between CCT and RNFL thickness in non-glaucomatous eyes with small/moderate myopia.

Methods

This was a single-centre, observational, prospective, assessor-masked study. Consecutive eligible patients (myopia ≤ − 6.0 dioptres, astigmatism ≤ 2.0 dioptres) without other ocular or neurodegenerative diseases were included. Based on their CCT, the participants were allocated to group 1 (CCT > 555 μm) or group 2 (CCT < 555 μm). Peripapillary RNFL measurements were performed by a masked observer using the Spectralis OCT platform.

Results

Sixty eyes were included in group 1 and 63 in group 2. The CCT in the two groups was significantly different (584.27 ± 22.8 μm vs 522.23 ± 20.03 μm, p = 0.0001). There were no other significant differences in the groups in terms of age, refraction, or intraocular pressure. The peripapillary RNFL thickness was higher (all p < 0.005) in group 1 at several sectors: superior-temporal, inferior-temporal, inferior-nasal, and average. A significant positive correlation between CCT and average RNFL thickness was found for the whole population (r = 0.31, p = 0.0001).

Conclusion

Otherwise, healthy myopes with thinner CCT have thinner RNFL compared with participants of similar age and refraction with thicker CCT.

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Data availability

Data were registered in the patients’ medical record.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain

    Esther Arranz-Marquez & Gorka Lauzirika

  2. Novovisión Clinic, Paseo de la Castellana, 54, 28046, Madrid, Spain

    Esther Arranz-Marquez & Miguel A. Teus

  3. Ophthalmology Department, Príncipe de Asturias University Hospital, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

    Miguel A. Teus

  4. Ophthalmology Department, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Andreas Katsanos

Authors
  1. Esther Arranz-Marquez
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  2. Gorka Lauzirika
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  3. Miguel A. Teus
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Contributions

Esther Arranz-Marquez: design of the work, interpretation of data, writing and revision of the original draft, approval of the final version. Gorka Lauzirika: data acquisition, analysis of data, writing of original draft, approval of the final version. Miguel A. Teus: conception and design of the work, analysis and interpretation of data, revision of original draft, approval of the final version. Andreas Katsanos: design of the work, interpretation of data, writing and revision of the original draft, approval of the final version

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Esther Arranz-Marquez.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Esther Arranz-Marquez declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Gorka Lauzirika declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Miguel A Teus receives honoraria from Alcon, Santen, Allergan, Johnson & Johnson Vision, Glaukos, and Care Group; and research grant from Johnson & Johnson Vision and Alcon.

Andreas Katsanos receives honoraria/congress expenses from Santen, Vianex, Laboratoires Théa, and Cooper SA; and research grant from Laboratoires Théa.

Ethics approval

Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Investigación Clínica Regional de la Comunidad de Madrid (CEIC-R) (ID 216/03). The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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

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Not applicable.

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Arranz-Marquez, E., Lauzirika, G., Teus, M.A. et al. Thinner retinal nerve fibre layer in healthy myopic eyes with thinner central corneal thickness. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 258, 2477–2481 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-04873-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-04873-8

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