Hyperopic peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and foveal thickness using optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Purpose Studying the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and foveal thickness in hyperopia using optical coherence tomography. Background Significant hyperopia is defined to be any degree of hyperopia sufficient to cause symptoms requiring remediation. Peripapillary RNFL thickness was approved to be conversely correlated with axial length (AL) and the spherical equivalent in hyperopic populations. Optical coherence tomography is a modern noncontact and noninvasive imaging technique designed to produce high-resolution images and accurate measurements of the different retinal components. Patients and methods The presented study included ninety eyes: 45 of them were simple hyperopic eyes, and the other 45 eyes were emmetropic. The emmetropic eyes were age and sex matched to the case group. The participants were included in the study after obtaining informed consent and a detailed history. Ophthalmological examination including visual acuity assessment, cycloplegic refraction, best-corrected visual acuity, cover–uncover test and extraocular muscle movement examination, anterior segment examination, intraocular pressure measurement, fundus examination, AL measurement, and peripapillary RNFL thickness and foveal thickness measurements (all methods of assessment are mentioned in detail in the patients and methods section) was carried out. Results There was no statistically significant difference between the hyperopic and the emmetropic groups with regard to age and sex. There was a statistically significant increase in the thickness of the RNFL in the hyperopic group that was more than that of the emmetropic group, and there was a statistically significant increase in the thickness of the superior, inferior, and nasal quadrants in the hyperopic group more than that of the emmetropic group. There was no statistically significant difference in the temporal quadrant between both groups. Conclusion The AL is statistically significantly short, and the mean foveal thickness is statistically significantly high in the hyperopic eyes. The RNFL thickness is statistically significantly thick, and the superior, inferior, and nasal quadrants were thicker in the hyperopic eyes than in the emmetropic ones.