Comparison of the lamina cribrosa parameters in eyes with exfoliation syndrome, exfoliation glaucoma and healthy subjects.

Abstract

This study aimed to compare lamina cribrosa (LC) parameters obtained by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) of eyes with exfoliation syndrome (PXS), exfoliation glaucoma (PXG) and healthy subjects. In this cross-sectional comparative study, 206 eyes of 206 subjects were included. The Bruch's membrane opening distance (BMOd), the anterior and posterior borders of the LC (LC thickness) and the anterior laminar depth (ALD) were imaged using the enhanced depth imaging (EDI) mode of SD-OCT. There were 96 eyes in the PXG group, 55 eyes in the PXS group, and 55 eyes in the control group. The LC thickness was the thinnest in the PXG group (151.10 ± 51.18 μm), followed in the PXS group (158.76 ± 49.62 μm), and the thickest in the control group (181.00 ± 39.10 μm) (p = 0.002). In PXG cases where LC was observed in the deepest location, the ALD value was highest (423.92 ± 111.75 μm) in the PXG group, followed by the control group (403.08 ± 63.56 μm), and PXS group (357.43 ± 80.87 μm) (p < 0.001). The BMOd values were largest in the PXG group (1542.43 ± 152.99 μm), followed by the control group (1506.52 ± 169.09 μm) and PXS group (1435.74 ± 141.06 μm) (p < 0.001). In the PXG group, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness, BCVA, and cup to disc (C/D) ratio were also statistically different from the other groups (p < 0.001). We found thinner LC thickness in PXG and PXS cases relative to the control group. Although its severity is associated with the diagnosis and severity of glaucoma, LC thinning can be encountered as an isolated condition in the presence of exfoliation.