Comparison of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer and Macular Foveal Thickness between Simple Hypermetropic Amblyopia and Hypermetropic Astigmatism Amblyopia

Abstract

Objective: To compare the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and the central foveal thickness in children with hypermetropic astigmatism amblyopia or simple hypermetropic amblyopia. Methods: Children and teenage (n=147) with monocular anisometropic amblyopia who were admitted to the Ophthalmological Vision Care Centre of Zaozhuang Municipal Hospital from January 2015 to December 2016 were enrolled in this case control study. The included eyes were divided into three groups according to their refractive states: Group B were unilateral simple hypermetropic amblyopic eyes (75 eyes); Group C were unilateral hypermetropic astigmatism amblyopic eyes (72 eyes) and Group A were the healthy contralateral eyes of Group B and Group C (147 eyes). The thicknesses of retinal nerve fiber layer and the central fovea were measured by optical coherence tomography. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by ANOVA. Results: The thicknesses of the retinal nerve fiber layer in Group A, Group B, and Group C were 105 ± 10 μm, 113 ± 10 μm, and 119 ± 14 μm respectively. The central foveal thickness of each group was 190 ± 25 μm, 201 ± 23 μm, and 209 ± 24 μm respectively, with significant differences between groups (F=14.241, 16.179, all P < 0.001). The thicknesses of the retinal nerve fiber layer and central fovea were larger in both Groups B and C than in Group A (all P < 0.001 for each thickness). The thicknesses of the nerve fiber layer and the fovea in Group C were larger than in Group B (P < 0.001 for each thickness). Conclusions: The thicknesses of the retinal nerve fiber layer and the macula central fovea of eyes with hypermetropic astigmatism amblyopia were significantly greater than in eyes with simple hypermetropic amblyopia. Key words: anisometropia; amblyopia; hypermetropia; astigmatism; retinal nerve fiber layer; macula central fovea; children