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Using a combination of in vivo retinal imaging tools, the authors found extensive variation in the size of the foveal pit and the foveal avascular zone, with larger foveal pits associated with larger foveal avascular zones.

Purpose.

To assess the relationship between foveal pit morphology and size of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ).

Methods.

Forty-two subjects were recruited. Volumetric images of the macula were obtained using spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Images of the FAZ were obtained using either a modified fundus camera or an adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope. Foveal pit metrics (depth, diameter, slope, volume, and area) were automatically extracted from retinal thickness data, whereas the FAZ was manually segmented by two observers to extract estimates of FAZ diameter and area.

Results.

Consistent with previous reports, the authors observed significant variation in foveal pit morphology. The average foveal pit volume was 0.081 mm3 (range, 0.022 to 0.190 mm3). The size of the FAZ was also highly variable between persons, with FAZ area ranging from 0.05 to 1.05 mm2 and FAZ diameter ranging from 0.20 to 1.08 mm. FAZ area was significantly correlated with foveal pit area, depth, and volume; deeper and broader foveal pits were associated with larger FAZs.

Conclusions.

Although these results are consistent with predictions from existing models of foveal development, more work is needed to confirm the developmental link between the size of the FAZ and the degree of foveal pit excavation. In addition, more work is needed to understand the relationship between these and other anatomic features of the human foveal region, including peak cone density, rod-free zone diameter, and Henle fiber layer.

Albinism, an inherited disorder of melanin biosynthesis, disrupts normal retinal development, with foveal hypoplasia as one of the more commonly associated ocular phenotypes. However the cellular integrity of the fovea in albinism is not well understood – there likely exist important anatomical differences that underlie phenotypic variability within the disease and that also may affect responsiveness to therapeutic intervention. Here, using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and adaptive optics (AO) retinal imaging, we obtained high-resolution images of the foveal region in six individuals with albinism. We provide a quantitative analysis of cone density and outer segment elongation demonstrating that foveal cone specialization is variable in albinism. In addition, our data reveal a continuum of foveal pit morphology, roughly aligning with schematics of normal foveal development based on post-mortem analyses. Different albinism subtypes, genetic mutations, and constitutional pigment background likely play a role in determining the degree of foveal maturation.

Objective:

To present the clinical spectrum of lamellar macular defects and describe the different subtypes based on their optical coherence tomography (OCT) configuration and visual prognosis.

Methods:

The retrospective observational case series reviewed OCT scans of 92 eyes with lamellar macular defects. Lamellar macular defects were categorised into subtypes of macular pseudohole (MPH), lamellar macular hole (LMH) and foveal pseudocyst (FP) according to their OCT morphology. The defects were quantitatively characterised in terms of base diameter, depth and central foveal thickness, and examined for the presence of associated epiretinal membranes (ERM).

Results:

Visual acuity (VA) was significantly correlated with the central foveal thickness and depth of the lamellar defect. MPH was associated with better VA compared with LMH and FP. MPH was of a smaller base diameter and had a greater central foveal thickness than that of LMH and FP. Fifty-per cent of all lamellar defects had an associated ERM.

Conclusions:

Different profiles of lamellar macular defects were characterised and quantified by OCT. Deeper and wider lamellar defects were associated with poorer visual outcome. Such objective parameters lamellar macular defects are of value when explaining to patients regarding their decreased acuity. Future prospective investigations are required to study the natural history of lamellar defects of different aetiology and surgical indications.

Objectives

To elucidate the visual significance of the foveal pit by measuring foveal architecture and function and to reassess use of the term foveal hypoplasia (as visual acuity can vary among patients who lack a pit).

Methods

We describe 4 patients who lack a foveal pit. Visual acuities ranged from 20/20 to 20/50. Stratus and Cirrus (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, California) optical coherence tomographs (OCTs) and multifocal electroretinograms were obtained. High-resolution retinal imaging on 2 of the participants was obtained by using a high-resolution Fourier-domain OCT and an adaptive optics flood-illuminated fundus camera.

Results

No participants had a visible foveal pit with conventional OCT. Central widening of the outer nuclear layer and lengthening of cone outer segments were seen with high-resolution Fourier-domain OCT. Adaptive op tics imaging showed normal cone diameters in the central 1° to 2°. Central multifocal electroretinogram responses were normal.

Conclusions

We show that a foveal pit is not required for foveal cone specialization, anatomically or functionally. This helps to explain the potential for good acuity in the absence of a pit and raises questions about the visual role of the foveal pit. Because the term foveal hypoplasia commonly carries a negative functional implication, it may be more proper to call the anatomic lack of a pit fovea plana.

Aims: To evaluate the effect of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with or without internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling on the closure and configuration of idiopathic macular holes (IMH).

Methods: PPV was performed for IMH on 44 eyes with ILM peeling (ILM peeled group) and on 42 eyes without ILM removal (ILM preserved group). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed on 34 ILM peeled eyes and 14 ILM preserved eyes after successful surgery. The repaired macular holes were classified by the OCT images as being of “good shape” (nearly normal foveal contour) or “poor shape” (abnormal foveal contour with flat fovea and steep edge, or with a thick retina without a foveal pit).

Results: The anatomical closure rate was significantly higher in the ILM peeled group (93.2%) than in the ILM preserved group (76.2%) (p = 0.028). In the ILM peeled group, 31 eyes had a fovea of good shape and three eyes had a fovea with a poor shape, while in the ILM preserved group, six eyes had a fovea of good shape and eight eyes had a fovea of poor shape. The percentage of eyes with good macular configuration in the ILM peeled group was significantly higher than in the ILM preserved group (p = 0.0003). No significant difference was found in the postoperative visual acuity and the increase of visual acuity between the ILM peeled group and the ILM preserved group (p = 0.26, and p = 0.91 respectively). There was also no significant difference in the postoperative visual acuity and improvement in visual acuity between eyes with a fovea of good shape and those with fovea of poor shape fovea (p = 0.99 and p = 0.66, respectively).

Conclusions: ILM peeling may provide better anatomical success and recovery of the macular shape, but the postoperative visual acuity and improvement of visual acuity were not related to the morphological results.

Purpose

To describe the fine structure of the fovea in subjects with a history of mild retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) using adaptive optics–Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (AO-FDOCT).

Methods

High-speed, high-resolution AO-FDOCT videos were recorded in subjects with a history of ROP (n = 5; age range, 14–26 years) and in control subjects (n = 5; age range, 18–25 years). Custom software was used to extract foveal pit depth and volume from three-dimensional (3-D) retinal maps. The thickness of retinal layers as a function of retinal eccentricity was measured manually. The retinal vasculature in the parafoveal region was assessed.

Results

The foveal pit was wider and shallower in ROP than in control subjects. Mean pit depth, defined from the base to the level at which the pit reaches a lateral radius of 728 μm, was 121 μm compared with 53 μm. Intact, contiguous inner retinal layers overlay the fovea in ROP subjects but were absent in the control subjects. Mean full retinal thickness at the fovea was greater in the subjects with ROP (279.0 μm vs. 190.2 μm). The photoreceptor layer thickness did not differ between ROP and control subjects. An avascular zone was not identified in the subjects with ROP but was present in all the control subjects.

Conclusions

The foveas of subjects with a history of mild ROP have significant structural abnormalities that are probably a consequence of perturbations of neurovascular development.

Background/aims

To present the ophthalmological and electrophysiological characteristics of three darkly pigmented, female patients with misrouting and foveal hypoplasia. One of the patients had primary ciliary dyskinesia and situs inversus totalis (Kartagener syndrome).

Methods

Fundus photographs were taken and the angles at which the main temporal arterial branches leave the optic nerve head (ONH) were analysed. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed through the presumed foveal region. Pattern onset visually evoked potentials (VEPs) (check sizes 60′, 40/400 ms) were recorded and the chiasmal coefficient was calculated to detect misrouting.

Results

Fundus photography showed normally pigmented fundi with absence of the usual foveal hyperpigmentation, foveal avascular zone, and macular and foveal reflexes. On OCT no foveal pit was found. The VEP recordings showed the largest positive CI component over the right hemisphere for the left eye, and over the left hemisphere for the right eye, with the CI almost absent over the ipsilateral hemispheres. The differential derivations showed opposite polarity for the recordings of the two eyes. The chiasmal coefficients of all three patients were significantly indicative of misrouting (−0.99, −0.91, and −0.99, respectively).

Conclusion

Based on the investigations in these patients the authors propose the hypothesis that foveal hypoplasia and misrouting exist as a distinct entity, and do not comprise the exclusive hallmark of albinism. The findings suggest that misrouting may exert a retrograde influence on foveal development.

This study provides key insight into the underlying mechanism behind the reported race- and sex-related differences in retinal thickness. Variation in foveal pit morphology is shown to underlie apparent racial differences in central retinal thickness.

Purpose.

To examine sex- and race-associated differences in macular thickness and foveal pit morphology by using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Methods.

One hundred eighty eyes of 90 healthy patients (43 women, 47 men) underwent retinal imaging with spectral-domain OCT. The lateral scale of each macular volume scan was corrected for individual differences in axial length by ocular biometry. From these corrected volumes, Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) grids of retinal thickness were generated and compared between the groups. Foveal morphology was measured with previously described algorithms.

Results.

Compared with the Caucasians, the Africans and African Americans had reduced central subfield thickness. Central subfield thickness was also reduced in the women compared with the men, although the women also showed significant thinning in parafoveal regions. There was no difference between the sexes in foveal pit morphology; however, the Africans/African Americans had significantly deeper and broader foveal pits than the Caucasians.

Conclusions.

Previous studies have reported race- and sex-associated differences in macular thickness, and the inference has been that these differences represent similar anatomic features. However, the data on pit morphology collected in the present study reveal an important and significant variation. Between the sexes, the differences are due to global variability in retinal thickness, whereas the variation in thickness observed between the races appears to be driven by differences in foveal pit morphology. These differences have important implications for the use of SD-OCT in detecting and diagnosing retinal disease.

This study demonstrates two- and three-dimensional capillary networks of the human parafoveal region without use of any contrast agents or adaptive optics. Phase-variance optical coherence tomography provides precise measurement of the foveal avascular zone area from one single volumetric scan within 5-second acquisition time.

Purpose.

To demonstrate the application of phase-variance optical coherence tomography (pvOCT) for contrast agent–free in vivo imaging of volumetric retinal microcirculation in the human foveal region and for extraction of foveal avascular zone dimensions.

Methods.

A custom-built, high-speed Fourier-domain OCT retinal imaging system was used to image retinas of two healthy subjects and eight diabetic patients. Through the acquisition of multiple B-scans for each scan location, phase differences between consecutive scans were extracted and used for phase-variance contrast, identifying motion signals from within blood vessels and capillaries. The en face projection view of the inner retinal layers segmented out from volumetric pvOCT data sets allowed visualization of a perfusion network with the foveal avascular zone (FAZ). In addition, the authors presented 2D retinal perfusion maps with pseudo color-coded depth positions of capillaries.

Results.

Retinal vascular imaging with pvOCT provides accurate measurements of the FAZ area and its morphology and a volumetric perfusion map of microcapillaries. In this study using two images from each fundus fluorescein angiography (FA) and pvOCT, the measured average areas of the FAZ from two healthy subjects were below 0.22 mm2, and each of eight diabetic patients had an enlarged FAZ area, larger than 0.22 mm2. Moreover, the FAZ areas demonstrated a significant correlation (r = 0.91) between measurements from FA and pvOCT.

Conclusions.

The high-speed pvOCT allows contrast agent–free visualization of capillary networks in the human foveal region that is analogous to fundus FA imaging. This could allow for noninvasive diagnosis and progression monitoring of diabetic retinopathy in clinical settings.

Purpose. To report clinical aspects, tomographic, angiographic, and autofluorescence patterns of two cases of isolated foveal hypoplasia. Methods. Foveal hypoplasia was found in a 23-year-old male patient and in a 64-year-old woman with impaired visual acuity of unknown etiology that remained unchanged for years. Results. In the first case, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) showed reduced foveal pit and continuity of inner retinal layers in the fovea. Photoreceptor layer had a normal thickness centrally. The foveal avascular zone (FAZ) was absent in the flourescein angiogram (FA). Fundus autofluorescence showed reduced foveal attenuation of autofluorescence. In the second patient, there was the same pattern in SD-OCT, with normal aspect in FA and only a slightly reduced foveal attenuation of autofluorescence. Conclusion. OCT, as a noninvasive and quick method, is helpful in the diagnosis of foveal hypoplasia. FA and fundus autofluorescence were less sensitive.

AIM

To study macular features in patients with congenital nystagmus and to assess the utility of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in nystagmus.

METHODS

The macular areas of 51 outpatients with congenital nystagmus were examined using SD-OCT. Morphological changes in the retinal layers of the macular area were analysed.

RESULTS

Macular images were successfully obtained with SD-OCT from 50 (98%) patients. Patients with ocular albinism mainly have macular hypoplasia, abnormal foveal depression, and increased foveal thickness with persistence of an inner nuclear layer, an inner plexiform layer, a ganglion cell layer and a nerve fiber layer. Macular morphology similar to albinism was observed in three patients with idiopathic macular hypoplasia. The OCT findings of cone dystrophy included unclear, disrupted or invisible photoreceptor outer segment/inner segment in the fovea; fusion, thickening and uneven reflection of the outer segment/inner segment with external limiting membrane. Some patients with congenital idiopathic nystagmus showed normal macular morphology and structure, and others showed indistinct macular external limiting membrane reflection.

CONCLUSION

SD-OCT is an effective and reliable method to detect the macular morphology of congenital nystagmus patients. This technique has diagnostic value in particular for patients with macular hypoplasia and cone cell dystrophy with no distinct abnormality on fundoscopy.

Purpose. To quantify interocular asymmetry (IA) of foveal thickness in Parkinson disease (PD) versus that of controls. Design. Prospective case-control series. Methods. In vivo assessment of foveal thickness of 46 eyes of 23 PD patients and 36 eyes of 18 control subjects was studied using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Inner versus outer layer retinal segmentation and macular volumes were quantified using the manufacturer's software, while foveal thickness was measured using the raw data from each eye in a grid covering a 6 by 6 mm area centered on the foveola in 0.25 mm steps. Thickness data were entered into MATLAB software. Results. Macular volumes differed significantly at the largest (Zone 3) diameter centered on the foveola (ETDRS protocol). By segmenting inner from outer layers, we found that the IA in PD is mostly due to changes on the slope of the foveal pit at the radial distances of 0.5 and 0.75 mm (1.5 mm and 1 mm diameter). Conclusions. About half of the PD patients had IA of the slope of the foveal pit. IA is a potentially useful marker of PD and is expected to be comparable across different SD-OCT equipment. Data of larger groups may be developed in future multicenter studies.

Objective

To report normal macular thickness measurements in healthy eyes using the latest commercially available optical coherence tomography (OCT) mapping software, version 3.0, from the Stratus OCT (OCT3).

Methods

Thirty-seven eyes from 37 healthy subjects underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination, including OCT. Six radial scans, 6 mm in length and centered on the fovea, were obtained using the OCT3. Retinal thickness was automatically calculated by OCT mapping software. Measurements were displayed as the mean and standard deviation for each of the 9 regions defined in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study.

Results

Foveal thickness (mean thickness in the central 1000-μm diameter area) and central foveal thickness (mean thickness at the point of intersection of 6 radial scans) on the OCT3 were 212 ± 20 and 182 ± 23 μm, respectively. Macular thickness measurements were thinnest at the center of the fovea, thickest within 3-mm diameter of the center, and diminished toward the periphery of the macula. The temporal quadrant was thinner than the nasal quadrant. Central foveal thickness was also manually determined as 170 ± 18 μm, approximately 12 μm less than the value automatically obtained from the OCT3 software. There was no correlation between age and foveal thickness (P = .80).

Conclusions

Mean foveal thickness measurements were 38 to 62 μm thicker than previously reported values, while mean central foveal thickness measurements were 20 to 49 μm thicker than previously published values. This discrepancy should be considered when interpreting OCT scans.

Aims: To introduce new terminology and validate its reliability for the analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans, compare clinical detection of cystoid macular oedema (CMO) and subretinal fluid (SRF) with OCT findings, and to study the effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) on the foveal morphology.

Methods: Patients with subfoveal, predominantly classic choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) secondary to age related macular degeneration (AMD) undergoing PDT were evaluated with refraction protocol best corrected logMAR visual acuity (VA), slit lamp biomicroscopy, stereoscopic fluorescein angiography (FFA), and OCT. New terminologies introduced to interpret the OCT scans were: neuroretinal foveal thickness (NFT), bilaminar foveal thickness (BFT), outer high reflectivity band thickness (OHRBT), intraretinal fluid (IRF), subretinal fluid (oSRF), and vitreomacular hyaloid attachment (VMHA).

Results: Fifty six eyes of 53 patients were studied. VA was better in eyes with a thinner outer high reflectivity band (OHRBT) (p = 0.02) and BFT (p = 0.05). BFT was less in eyes that had undergone a greater number of PDT treatments (p = 0.04). There was poor agreement between OCT and clinical examination in the detection of CMO and subretinal fluid (κ = 0.289 and κ = 0.165 respectively). To validate the interpretation and measurements on OCT, two groups of 20 scans were analysed by two independent observers. There was good agreement between the observers in the detection of IRF, oSRF, and VMHA (p<0.001). Measurements of NFT and BFT had a high reproducibility, and of OHRBT reproducibility was low.

Conclusions: New terminology has been introduced and tested. OCT appears to be superior to clinical examination and FFA in the detection of CMO. In this study, better vision was associated with a thinner OHRBT and/or the absence of SRF giving insight into the biological effect of PDT.

Purpose

The aim of this study is to report a patient with multipe evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) presenting with classic foveal granularity and pathology localized to the outer retina.

Methods

Case study methodology was used in the current study.

Results

A 34-year-old Caucasian female presented with photopsias and blurry vision in her left eye. Examination, particularly the foveal granularity noted in her affected eye, was archetypal for the diagnosis of MEWDS. Fundus autofluorescence, fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography were also consistent with this diagnosis. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) demonstrated increased retinal pigment epithelium granularity and disruption of the photoreceptor inner segment–outer segment junction subfoveally.

Conclusions

Foveal granularity may be the most specific feature of MEWDS with SD-OCT capable of localizing pathology to the outer retina—a historically controversial finding.

Carriers of blue cone monochromacy have fewer cone photoreceptors than normal. Here we examine how this disruption at the level of the retina affects visual function and cortical organization in these individuals. Visual resolution and contrast sensitivity was measured at the preferred retinal locus of fixation and visual resolution was tested at two eccentric locations (2.5° and 8°) with spectacle correction only. Adaptive optics corrected resolution acuity and cone spacing were simultaneously measured at several locations within the central fovea with adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO). Fixation stability was assessed by extracting eye motion data from AOSLO videos. Retinotopic mapping using fMRI was carried out to estimate the area of early cortical regions, including that of the foveal confluence. Without adaptive optics correction, BCM carriers appeared to have normal visual function, with normal contrast sensitivity and visual resolution, but with AO-correction, visual resolution was significantly worse than normal. This resolution deficit is not explained by cone loss alone and is suggestive of an associated loss of retinal ganglion cells. However, despite evidence suggesting a reduction in the number of retinal ganglion cells, retinotopic mapping showed no reduction in the cortical area of the foveal confluence. These results suggest that ganglion cell density may not govern the foveal overrepresentation in the cortex. We propose that it is not the number of afferents, but rather the content of the information relayed to the cortex from the retina across the visual field that governs cortical magnification, as under normal viewing conditions this information is similar in both BCM carriers and normal controls.

PURPOSE

To examine choroidal thickness and area in healthy eyes using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

DESIGN

Retrospective, observational case series

METHODS

Thirty-four eyes (34 subjects), with no retinal or choroidal disease, underwent high definition raster scanning using SD-OCT with frame enhancement software. Choroidal thickness was measured from the posterior edge of the retinal pigment epithelium to the choroid/sclera junction at 500 μm intervals up to 2500 μm temporal and nasal to the fovea. The central 1 mm area of the choroid was also measured, along with foveal thickness of the retina. All measurements were performed by two independent observers. Statistical analysis was used to correlate inter-observer findings, choroidal thickness and area measurements with age, and choroidal thickness with retinal foveal thickness.

RESULTS

The 34 subjects had a mean age of 51.1 years. Reliable measurements of choroidal thickness were obtainable in 74% of eyes examined. Choroidal thickness and area measurements had strong inter-observer correlation (r =0.92, P < 0.0001) and (r =0.93, P < 0.0001) respectively. Area had a moderate negative correlation with age (r =-0.62, P < 0.0001) that was comparable to the correlation between mean subfoveal choroidal thickness and age (r =-0.61, P < 0.0001). Retinal and choroidal thickness were found to be poorly correlated (r =-0.23, P = 0.18). Mean choroidal thickness showed a pattern of thinnest choroid nasally, thickening in the subfoveal region, and then thinning again temporally. Mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was found to be 272 μm (SD, +/- 81 μm).

CONCLUSIONS

Choroidal thickness can be measured using SD-OCT high definition raster scans in the majority of eyes. Choroidal thickness across the macula demonstrates a thin choroid nasally, thickest choroid sub-foveally, and again thinner temporally, and a trend toward decreasing choroidal thickness with age.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical and anatomical outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy and gas tamponade without internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling in symptomatic patients caused by myopic foveoschisis.

Methods: Nine eyes in eight highly myopic patients who had myopic foveoschisis with foveal detachment underwent vitrectomy without ILM peeling followed by gas tamponade. Main outcome measures include change in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and changes in height of the foveal detachment and resolution of the myopic foveoschisis measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Results: After surgery, BCVA improved in eight eyes with the median BCVA improved from 20/80 to 20/50 (p = 0.012). The mean line of visual improvement was 3.6 lines. OCT showed complete resolution of myopic foveoschisis with complete foveal reattachment in seven (77.8%) eyes with partial resolution in two (22.2%) eyes. The mean height of foveal detachment decreased from 505 μm preoperatively to 21 μm postoperatively (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Vitrectomy without ILM peeling followed by gas tamponade appeared to result in favourable visual and anatomical outcomes for treating myopic foveoschisis in highly myopic eyes. The results are comparable with studies in which ILM removal was performed. Further controlled study will be useful to determine the role of ILM peeling in these patients.

Objectives

To define optical coherence tomographic (OCT) criteria for the diagnosis of a lamellar macular hole, and to increase understanding of lamellar hole pathogenesis by examining fine anatomic features using ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR OCT).

Design

Retrospective observational case series.

Participants

Nineteen eyes of 18 patients with lamellar holes were imaged with UHR OCT between 2002 and 2004.

Methods

A UHR OCT system was developed for use in the ophthalmology clinic. All 6 UHR OCT images for each eye imaged were examined. Lamellar holes were diagnosed based on a characteristic OCT appearance. Criteria for the OCT diagnosis of a lamellar hole were as follows: (1) irregular foveal contour; (2) break in the inner fovea; (3) intraretinal split; and (4) intact foveal photoreceptors. From 1205 eyes of 664 patients imaged with UHR OCT, and retrospectively reviewed, 19 eyes of 18 patients were diagnosed with a lamellar hole based on these criteria. All 19 eyes were also imaged with standard resolution OCT. Their charts were retrospectively reviewed.

Main Outcome Measures

Standard and ultrahigh-resolution OCT images.

Results

On chart review, clinical diagnosis of a lamellar hole was made in only 7 of 19 eyes (37%). Twelve of 19 eyes (63%) had an epiretinal membrane (ERM) on clinical examination. Ten of 19 eyes (53%) had a posterior vitreous detachment. On UHR OCT, 17 of 19 eyes (89%) had ERMs. Eleven ERMs had an unusual thick appearance on UHR OCT. Due to poor visual acuity, 4 eyes underwent vitrectomy. Only 1 of 4 surgeries (25%) was visually and anatomically successful. Another eye improved visually, but a lamellar hole persisted. One eye progressed to a full-thickness macular hole preoperatively, which reopened after surgery. One eye developed a full-thickness hole postoperatively.

Conclusions

The diagnosis of a lamellar hole can be made based on OCT criteria, which could be applied to both standard and ultrahigh-resolution OCT. The increased resolution of UHR OCT sheds light on the pathogenesis of the lamellar hole. Epiretinal membranes were visualized on UHR OCT in the majority of eyes. Many ERMs had an unusual thick appearance on UHR OCT, which may represent either trapped vitreous or posterior hyaloid, and may help stabilize retinal anatomy. Conversely, ERM contraction may play a role in lamellar hole formation. Vitrectomy surgery was anatomically and visually successful in only 1 of 4 patients, suggesting caution when performing vitrectomy on lamellar holes.

Aim

To determine the value of a topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitor for extended treatment of cystoid macular oedema (CME) in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Method

Eight patients with RP and foveal cystic‐appearing lesions observed on fundus examination and by optical coherence tomography (OCT) testing were treated with a topical form of carbonic anhydrase inhibitor.

Results

Foveal cystic‐like spaces were documented by OCT testing in all eight patients before treatment. All patients had a significant reduction in their foveal thickness (FT) and foveal zone thickness (FZT) in at least one eye after using 2% dorzolamide three times a day for 1 or 2 months. Six patients had an improvement in both eyes. After an additional 6–13 months of the same treatment regimen, out of six patients who had a sustained reduction in FT and FZT in at least one eye, four had this reduction in both eyes. While they were still taking Trusopt, a recurrence (rebound) of CME in both eyes was observed in two patients, whereas one patient had a sustained improvement in one eye and rebound of CME in the other eye. Out of 8 patients, 3 showed an improvement in their visual acuity by ⩾7 letters, in at least one eye, on Snellen acuity charts, which was determined as clinically significant.

Conclusion

Results from this study suggest that patients with RP could potentially sustain a beneficial effect from continued treatment with a topical form of carbonic anhydrase inhibitor.

Background

To test whether foveal cone photoreceptors are impaired in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Methods

Nineteen POAG eyes with central glaucomatous visual field defects, and 34 age-matched control eyes were included. Fundus reflectometry, together with a model fit procedure, provided information on a set of parameters: lens optical density, macular pigment optical density, melanin, blood, the directional cone reflectance (Rd), a measure for foveal cone photoreceptor integrity, and RILM, the reflectance at the inner limiting membrane. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed to assess macular thickness. A Kolmogorov–Smirnov Z-test was used to compare parameters between the two groups.

Results

Median age (range) was 55.1 (24.7–73.3) years in the control subjects, and 60.1 (20.7–77.0) years in the POAG patients (P  = 0.24). Of all eight model parameters, only Rd and RILM were significantly lower in POAG. Median Rd (range) was 2.21 (0.64–4.93) % in the control subjects and 1.19 (0.08–3.60) % in the POAG patients (P =  0.003). Median RILM (range) was 0.15 (0.00–1.08) % in the control subjects, and 0.08 (0.01–0.29) % in the POAG patients (P  < 0.001). Rd showed no linear relationship with central retinal sensitivity on Visual Field test in POAG patients. Retinal thickness of the inner 1–3 mm ring and the outer 3–6 mm ring on OCT, centered on the fovea, was significantly lower in POAG patients than in control subjects.

Conclusions

The integrity of the foveal cone outer segments, and the reflectance of the central ILM were impaired in POAG with advanced central visual field defects.

Background

Despite a significant body of research, no consistency on postoperative foveal thickness as measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT), can be recorded. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effect of uncomplicated cataract surgery in the thickness of the retina in the foveal area during the early postoperative period.

Methods

In a prospective study, 79 eyes were assessed by OCT, on day 1, and weeks 2 and 4 after uncomplicated phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation in the Athens University Clinic. The outcome measure was the thickness of the retina in the foveal area.

Results

The thickness of the retina preoperatively is significantly smaller (150.4 ± 18.8) (p < 0.05) than the thickness of the retina on day 1 (171.8 ± 21) and week 2 (159.7 ± 19) and returned to the initial levels on week 4 (152 ± 17.1). The estimated correlation coefficients between preoperative and postoperative thickness of the retina were significant (p < 0.05). Conversely, no association was found between postoperative visual acuity and thickness of the retina, neither between the phacoemulsification energy and retinal thickness. Operation time, although inversely related with postoperative visual acuity, was not associated with the thickness of the retina.

Conclusions

Following phacoemulsification, an increase in the foveal thickness was detected in the early postoperative period, quantified and followed up by OCT. The foveal thickness returned to the preoperative level, 1 month following surgery in our study. No association was shown between intraoperative parameters and increased postoperative retinal thickness.

PURPOSE

To assess photoreceptor integrity in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and related diseases using ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT) and to correlate foveal photoreceptor loss with visual acuity.

DESIGN

Observational case series.

METHODS

Nine eyes of nine patients with RP and related diseases were imaged with UHR-OCT at the ophthalmology clinic. Patients were diagnosed based on history, examination, fluorescein angiography, and electroretinography. Concurrently, 36 eyes of 36 normal subjects were imaged with UHR-OCT. Central foveal thickness (CFT) and foveal outer segment/pigment epithelium thickness (FOSPET) were defined and measured on UHR-OCT images in all subjects and were compared between the two groups using unpaired t tests. The two thickness measurements in RP patients were correlated with visual acuity using Pearson correlation and linear regression.

RESULTS

UHR-OCT demonstrated macular photoreceptor thinning in all RP patients. The difference in CFT between RP patients and normal subjects was not statistically significant (P = .103), but the difference in FOSPET between the two groups was significant (P = .003). Visual acuity showed a fair correlation with CFT (Pearson r = −0.43, r2 = 0.187, P = .245) and an excellent correlation with FOSPET (Pearson r = −0.942, r2 = 0.887, P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

In the current study using UHR-OCT, a new thickness measurement termed FOSPET is demonstrated to quantify photoreceptor loss. FOSPET was statistically thinner in patients with RP and related diseases than in normal eyes and showed correlation with logMAR visual acuity. FOSPET appears to be a probable predictor of visual acuity in RP.

Objective

To characterize foveal atrophy in a heterogeneous group of uveitis patients using clinical findings and high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT).

Design

Cross-sectional, retrospective case series.

Results

HD-OCT scans of 140 patients seen in a tertiary referral center were reviewed and 23 patients (33 eyes) with foveal atrophy were identified. All patients with foveal atrophy were diagnosed with intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis. The status of the photoreceptor layer as visualized with HD-OCT was associated with significant differences in mean visual acuity (p<0.0001). Clinical findings associated with foveal atrophy included atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and/or choroid (91%), macular ischemia (39%), cystoid macular edema (15%), choroidal neovascularization (12%), retinal detachment involving the macula (6%), and serum antiretinal antibodies (6%).

Conclusions

Foveal atrophy can be a complication of intraocular inflammation in a variety of uveitic syndromes. The etiology of foveal atrophy is multi-factorial and may include dysfunction and atrophy of the RPE and/or choroid, cystoid macular edema, macular ischemia secondary to occlusive retinal vasculitis, choroidal neovascularization, retinal detachment, and possibly antibody-mediated damage directed against photoreceptors. Careful observation of the photoreceptor layer using HD-OCT may help to identify patients who are at risk for visual loss secondary to foveal atrophy.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) noninvasively quantifies the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). OCT has been studied in several neuro-ophthalmic conditions, including Parkinson's disease (PD). Recent studies suggest that the quantitative analysis of RNFL can be precisely and noninvasively done by OCT scans and the results suggest that the thickness of RNFL is significantly decreased in patients with PD compared with age-matched controls and the foveal retinal thickness correlates with disease severity in PD. In this article, the application of OCT imaging of the retina in PD was reviewed. Literature survey of PubMed was carried out using the search terms of “Optical Coherence Tomography” combined with “Parkinson's Disease” and “retinal nerve fiber layer” (without restriction to the year of publication). Some related articles were also included. The search was completed in Jul. 2011 and revised and updated as necessary. The aim of this article is to review the current literatures on the use of optical coherence tomography in patients affected by PD and to enhance its use in clinical practice in neuro-ophthalmology.