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Genetic influence on contrast sensitivity in young adults
Author(s) -
Haak Koen V.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/aos.13955
Subject(s) - demography , contrast (vision) , twin study , population , heritability , sample size determination , biology , statistics , evolutionary biology , mathematics , sociology , computer science , artificial intelligence
spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT; Spectralis OCT, software v. 4.0, Heidelberg Engineering, Dossenheim, Germany) imaging to measureRNFL thickness. Subjectswere excluded from the study if any of the following were present: glaucoma, optic neuropathy, high ametropia (refractive error spherical equivalent more severe than 5 dioptres), history of ocular or neurological trauma, or other relevant retinal and/or optic nerve disease. Fifty-six subjects with treated MS and 35 healthy subjects were included. Mean global (MS: 89.6 15.4 lm, control: 104.3 9.1 lm; p < 0.001) and sectorial RNFL thicknesses were significantly less in theMS group than in the control group (Table 1). Global RNFL thickness was thinnest in MS subjects with a history of ON (79.8 15.9 lm), followed by MS subjects without a history of ON (93.6 13.3 lm), and thickest in the control group (104.3 9.1 lm; all p < 0.001). Additionally, the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (rs) between the number of ON episodes and RNFL thickness was 0.41 in the MS group (p < 0.001). Therefore, MS subjects that had more ON episodes had a thinner RNFL thickness. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for global RNFL measurements was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.66–0.94) for discriminating between healthy subjects and those with MS. Sectorial RNFL thickness measurements had the highest AUROC (0.83, 95%CI: 0.67–0.93), and subsequently the best accuracy, in the superior temporal sector. That means that the superior temporal parapapillary sector is the most affected inMS. Interestingly, subjects with a higher number of ON episodes had larger RNFL changes than subjects with a lower number of ON episodes. This finding indicates that serial OCT monitoring of patients withMSmay provide useful information on disease status, disease activity and treatment efficacy. However, caution should be used to not overlook RNFL changes in eyes classified as ‘within normal limits’, because the software database is made for glaucoma, not for demyelinating disease. Serial testing is always helpful for comparison to baseline values obtained at the beginning of a disease process. In conclusion, MS subjects without a history of ON had a thinner RNFL than normal subjects. Additionally, RNFL thickness was negatively correlated with the number of prior ON episodes, indicating a larger amount of RNFL damage. Therefore, we recommend that all patients withMS, and not just thosewith a history of ON, undergo regular RNFL thicknessmeasurementwithOCTduring the diagnostic process and follow-up.