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OCT, GDx show ganglion cell loss in multiple sclerosis patients with normal vision
Acta Ophthalmol. 2010;88(7):748-752.
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Two imaging modalities assisted the identification of subclinical ganglion cell loss in multiple sclerosis patients with normal vision, a study showed.
Optical coherence tomography and scanning laser polarimetry (GDx) proved useful in detecting retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) abnormalities, the study authors said.
The authors set out to gauge RNFL abnormalities in MS patients with normal visual examination results. They compared the effectiveness of OCT and GDx in identifying axonal loss.
The study included 40 eyes of patients with MS and 20 eyes of healthy age- and sex-matched controls. All subjects underwent comprehensive visual acuity and visual field examinations, which yielded normal results in all cases.
Despite MS patients having normal visual acuities and visual fields, significant between-group differences were identified in visual field mean deviation, most RNFL measurements, and latency and amplitude related to visual evoked potentials.
Data showed that RNFL abnormalities were detected by OCT or GDx in 19 MS eyes.
"There was a significant correlation between OCT and GDx parameters, and between these parameters and [visual evoked potential] results," the authors said.