Optical Coherence Tomography Measurement of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer After Acute Primary Angle Closure With Normal Visual Field

Purpose

To detect retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness after a single acute primary angle closure (APAC) attack with normal visual field.

Design

Prospective, observational case study.

Methods

Twenty-eight patients who had a single unilateral APAC attack associated with normal visual fields at three months after remission and 28 single eyes from normal controls were enrolled. Duration of APAC attack was 5.9 ± 2.7 hours. Comparisons of average RNFL thickness and RNFL thickness in four quadrants and in 12-o’clock-hour segments of the attacked eyes, unaffected fellow eyes, and normal controls were made using fast RNFL thickness (3.4) of Stratus optical coherence tomography.

Results

Significant differences were demonstrated comparing the inferior-quadrant RNFL thicknesses for the attacked eyes with those of the normal controls (P = .02) and fellow eyes (P = .02) using one-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s tests.

Conclusions

Inferior region RNFL thickness was significantly decreased in the attacked eyes after an APAC episode associated with normal visual field.