Detection of the Onset of Multiple Sclerosis from SD-OCT Thickness Measurements of the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer

Background: Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) are both emerging biomarkers of neuro-axonal damage in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, data on the relation between sNfL and pRNFL are scarce. Objective: We aimed to determine the relation of sNfL levels with pRNFL thinning in a large cohort of relapsing–remitting (RR) MS patients. Methods: We identified 80 patients from a prospective, 3-year observational study on retinal changes in RRMS with annual blood samples available. sNfL levels were measured using single-molecule array (SimoaTM) assay. Annualized loss of pRNFL (aLpRNFL) was determined by individual linear regression models. Correlations between single and repeated sNfL levels and aLpRNFL were analyzed using multivariate linear regression and mixed-effect models. Results: After correction for sex, age, and baseline sNfL, an sNfL increase of 10 pg/mL was associated with an aLpRNFL of −0.7 µm (95% confidence interval (CI): (−1.3, −0.2), p < 0.001). Patients with ⩾2 sNfL measurements >75th percentile displayed higher aLpRNFL (2.2 µm, standard deviation (SD) 0.6) compared to patients with no sNfL measure >75th percentile (0.4 µm, SD 0.2, p < 0.001). Between 15% and 20% of the aLpRNFL variance could be predicted from sNfL levels. Conclusion: sNfL levels contribute to the prediction of retinal thinning in patients with RRMS, strengthening its value as a biomarker of neuro-axonal damage.

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Age-Related Physiologic Thinning Rate of the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer in Different Levels of Myopia

Journal of Ophthalmology ◽

10.1155/2020/1873581 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Daun Jeong ◽

Kyung Rim Sung ◽

Youn Hye Jo ◽

Sung-cheol Yun

Keyword(s):

Nerve Fiber ◽

Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer ◽

Refractive Error ◽

Fiber Layer ◽

Nerve Fiber Layer ◽

Rnfl Thickness ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Thinning Rate ◽

Sd Oct ◽

Retinal Nerve Fiber

Purpose. To investigate the effect of refractive error on the physiologic thinning rate of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in healthy eyes. Materials and Methods. This study analyzed 223 eyes of 141 healthy subjects followed for more than 5 years and underwent at least five serial spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) examinations. Longitudinal RNFL measurements were analyzed by linear mixed models incorporating follow-up duration, baseline RNFL thickness, spherical equivalent (SE), age, intraocular pressure, and visual field mean deviation. Thinning rates were classified according to SE into three groups: nonmyopic (NM; >0 D), mild-to-moderately myopic (MM; >–6 D and ≤0 D), and highly myopic (HM; ≤–6 D). Results. The overall slopes of change in RNFL thickness over time in the NM, MM, and HM groups were −0.305 ± 0.128, −0.294 ± 0.068, and −0.208 ± 0.097 μm/yr, respectively. Slopes of RNFL thickness changes in these groups were −0.514 ± 0.248, −0.520 ± 0.133, and −0.528 ± 0.188 μm/yr, in the superior quadrant; −0.084 ± 0.145, 0.107 ± 0.082, and −0.161 ± 0.112 μm/yr, in the temporal quadrant; −0.807 ± 0.242, −0.794 ± 0.130, and −0.727 ± 0.183 μm/yr, in the inferior quadrant; and 0.160 ± 0.157, 0.118 ± 0.084, and 0.429 ± 0.119 μm/yr, in the nasal quadrant. Overall and in all four quadrants, there was no significant difference in the rate of RNFL thickness change among the three groups. Conclusions. Refractive error did not affect the physiologic thinning rate of RNFL when assessed by SD OCT.

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