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New system may show ganglion cell survival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A device that measures retinal ganglion cell function may help indicate whether cells can be salvaged in patients with early-stage glaucoma, according to a presentation here.
In patients with glaucomatous damage, pattern electroretinogram (PERG) results are altered to a greater degree than retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, said Lori M. Ventura, MD, at the meeting of the International Society for Imaging in the Eye. PERG may be a more sensitive way to assess early glaucomatous damage, she said.
Dr. Ventura and colleagues tested 44 eyes of 22 patients with early-stage glaucoma, randomizing one eye of each to measurement with PERG and one to optical coherence tomography (OCT). PERG amplitude and average retinal nerve fiber layer thickness were expressed as percentage deviation from normal values, she said.
PERG deviations were significantly greater than the retinal nerve fiber layer deviations on OCT, she said. Worse PERG scores indicated a loss of retinal ganglion cells and axons and dysfunctional retinal ganglion cells, Dr. Ventura said.
“The dysfunctional retinal ganglion cells may be potentially rescued from death,” Dr. Ventura said. Patients with better PERG scores may have less retinal ganglion cell loss, she added, but said that hypothesis remains to be proven.