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Outer retinal layers as predictors of visual acuity in retinitis pigmentosa: a cross-sectional study

  • Retinal Disorders
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the integrity of the outer retinal layers—outer nuclear layer (ONL), external limiting membrane (ELM), ellipsoid (EZ), and interdigitation band (IZ)—using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and estimate their effect on visual acuity in retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Methods

A cross-sectional study was performed in the Ophthalmology Department of Hospital de Braga, Portugal. Patients with RP followed in the Hospital de Braga during January to August 2017 were included. Exclusion criteria were lack of data, macular edema due to RP, and concomitant retinal, optic nerve, or corneal disease that could interfere with visual acuity. Age, sex, time from diagnosis, phakic status, ONL thickness, and presence or absence of foveal ELM, EZ, and IZ were correlated to the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA).

Results

Forty-eight eyes were analyzed. There was a strong and positive correlation in BCVA between both eyes (p < .001*). ONL thickness was decreased in 95.8%. The EZ was the most absent layer (79.2%), followed by IZ (70.8%) and ELM (45.8%). A positive family history (p = .04*) and increased time from diagnosis (p = .037*) correlated with worse BCVA. A thicker ONL (p = .001*) and the presence of subfoveal ELM (p < .001*), EZ (p < .001*), and IZ (p = .02*) are correlated with better BCVA. There was a strong and positive correlation between the number of layers affected and a lower BCVA (p < .001). The presence of EZ was a significant predictor of BCVA (p = .02*).

Conclusions

The status of the outer retinal layers seems to influence BCVA. The status of the EZ was the most important predictor of BCVA but the ONL, ELM, and IZ may have a cumulative effect in the progression of visual loss.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the following: António Macedo (collected data); Andreia Magalhães (OCT technique supervision); Natacha Moreno, MD (collected data); Carla Ferreira, MD (collected data); Petra Gouveia, MD (writing assistance, technical editing, and proofreading); Gil Calvão-Santos, MD (proofreading and collected data); Nuno Gomes, MD (general supervision); Fernando Vaz, MD (general supervision).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ophthalmology Department Hospital de Braga, R. das Sete Fontes, Braga, Portugal

    Keissy Sousa, Tiago Fernandes, Rita Gentil & Luís Mendonça

  2. Faculdade de Medicina Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal

    Keissy Sousa & Manuel Falcão

  3. Ophthalmology Department Centro Hospitalar S. João, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal

    Manuel Falcão

Authors
  1. Keissy Sousa
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  2. Tiago Fernandes
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  3. Rita Gentil
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  4. Luís Mendonça
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  5. Manuel Falcão
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manuel Falcão.

Ethics declarations

All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional, document number 132/2017, and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. All data were performed based on anonymized data and none of the presented results can identify any patient.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Sousa, K., Fernandes, T., Gentil, R. et al. Outer retinal layers as predictors of visual acuity in retinitis pigmentosa: a cross-sectional study. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 257, 265–271 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-018-4185-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-018-4185-4

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