Evaluation of the Inner Macula Layers, Circumpapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer, and Minimum Rim Width Thickness in Patients With Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome Without Glaucoma Compared With Controls.

PRCIS

Minimum rim width (MRW) is thinner in patients with non-glaucomatous pseudoexfoliation syndrome (XFS) and may be the first parameter affected in these patients due to the vascular nature of this disease.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the macular inner layers, circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cp-RNFL), and MRW in non-glaucomatous XFS compared with healthy patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this prospective study, using Heidelberg Spectralis optical coherence tomography with Glaucoma Module Premium Edition, 8×8 grids of macular inner layers were exported, and the global, superior, and inferior thicknesses were used. Also, on the deviation map, the elliptical annulus around the fovea, which was 4.8×4 mm in size, was analyzed. Moreover, both groups calculated cp-RNFL and MRW values in 3 superior and 3 inferior sectors.

RESULTS

Thirty-two eyes of 32 patients with clinically detected non-glaucomatous XFS and 30 right eyes of age-sex-matched healthy controls were included. No significant difference was found between the case and control groups concerning the intraocular pressure (14.94 ± 2.09 vs 15.27 ± 2.27 mm Hg, respectively, P = 0.556). The MRW of the superotemporal segment (MRW-temporal superior) was significantly thinner in the XFS group compared with the control ones (303.69 ± 60.49 vs 341.43 ± 56.19 µm, P = 0.014). No significant differences were found in the other sectors of MRW, macular inner layers, and cp-RNFL thickness between the groups.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate that the MRW, especially in the superotemporal sector, may show early eye damage in patients with non-glaucomatous XFS, and it may be used to detect the early stage of glaucoma in XFS.