Tilted disc syndrome: an OCT and mfERG study

Abstract

To evaluate retinal thickness and function in eyes with tilted disc syndrome with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG). Twenty-one eyes of 12 patients (4 males and 8 females) with tilted disc were studied with OCT3 and mfERG and compared with 40 eyes of 20 age and sex-matched control subjects. The thickness of the fovea and the thickness of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) along a 3.4-mm-diameter circle centred on the optic nerve head were evaluated using OCT3. The macular cone function was tested by mfERG. The OCT-derived RNFL thickness was significantly decreased in the superior area of eyes with tilted disc with a mean value equal to 106.47 microm (SD 24.1). The mean response amplitude density of the fovea (11.75 nV/deg(2)) and parafovea (8.22 nV/deg(2)) was significantly lower in eyes with tilted disc than in normal eyes. OCT and mfERG can be objective tools for assessing anatomical and functional damage of the macula. Our results suggest that in tilted disc syndrome even without visual impairment the optic nerve and the macula show dysfunction not visible by other means.