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Evaluation of the retinal fiber layer thickness as a biomarker for sleep apnea syndrome
Author(s) -
FERRANDEZ ARENAS B,
GILARRIBAS L,
FERRERAS AMEZ A,
ARA GABARRE M,
SATUE M,
BAMBO MP,
CALVO PEREZ P
Publication year - 2012
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/j.1755-3768.2012.4246.x
Subject(s) - nerve fiber layer , medicine , retinal , ophthalmology , visual field , optical coherence tomography , obstructive sleep apnea , sleep apnea , cardiology
Purpose To evaluate the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measured with spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) patients, as a biological marker of neuronal damage. Methods Sixty‐four OSA patients and one hundred twenty‐nine healthy controls were consecutive and prospectively selected. Only one eye per subject was randomly chosen. AOS patients were classified in three groups according to apnea/hipopnea index: mild, moderate and severe. All participants performed a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination and at least a reliable standard automated perimetry (SAP). Peripapillary RNFL thicknesses were measured with the Spectralis OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). After checking for a normal distribution of variables, differences between both groups were tested by Student t test. Results Age was 50.6 ± 9.3 years in control eyes and 47.8 ± 11.5 years in AOS patients (p = 0.09). Mean deviation of SAP was ‐0.50 ± 1.0 dB and ‐1.4± 2.3 dB, in control and AOS patients, respectively (p<0.001). Pattern standard deviation and Visual Field Index (VFI) of SAP were also different between both groups. The RNFL thickness at temporal superior segment and the superior segment had lower thicknesses in AOS patients compared to healthy individuals. Conclusion OCT detected a mild reduction of RNFL thickness in AOS patients compared with healthy subjects. Visual field indices were also different between both groups.