Axial length affects RNFL thickness, optic nerve in glaucoma patients
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NEW ORLEANS — Research presented at Academy ’23 showed that axial length can affect measurements of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and optic nerve disc and rim areas in glaucoma suspects and patients.
“That’s particularly important in patients with high myopia because that could be earnestly mistaken for glaucomatous damage, which is not necessarily the case,” Nevin W. El-Nimri, OD, MS, PhD, FAAO, senior clinical scientist at Topcon Healthcare, told Healio.
El-Nimri and colleagues studied 579 eyes of 294 participants using a widefield OCT scan to measure retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and optic nerve parameters.
They found that before optical magnification, RNFL thickness decreased while axial length increased, but this correlation reversed after correcting for optical magnification.
“It makes you realize that it is very important to keep in mind that you do have to account for ocular magnification correction,” El-Nimri said.
In addition, those with longer axial length had slightly increased optic disc area and slightly decreased rim area.
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El-Nimri NW, et al. The impact of axial length on retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and optic nerve parameters. Presented at: Academy; Oct. 11-14, 2023; New Orleans.
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