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Cataracts may distort OCT measurements of RNFL
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The presence and degree of cataracts may cause the retinal nerve fiber layer to appear thinner than it actually is when measured by optical coherence tomography, according to a study.
Giacomo Savini, MD, and colleagues used the Stratus OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec) to measure retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in 25 eyes of 25 cataract surgery patients. Surgeons took measurements preoperatively both with and without dilation and at 1 month postoperatively without dilation.
The researchers found that increasingly advanced lens opacities positively correlated with thinner RNFL measurements; postoperative OCT measurements were significantly higher than preoperative non-dilated measurements in all quadrants studied, according to the study.
"While pupil size only marginally affects RNFL measurements ... the presence and degree of cataract seem to have a significant impact. This effect should be taken in consideration when using this technology for the diagnosis of glaucoma and other neuro-ophthalmologic disorders possibly affecting the RNFL," the authors said.
The study was published in the August issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.