Open AccessAnalysis of retinal nerve fiber layer birefringence in patients with glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy by polarization sensitive OCT
Author(s) -
Sylvia Desissaire,
Andreas Pollreisz,
Aleksandra Sedova,
Dorottya Hajdu,
Felix Datlinger,
Stefan H. Steiner,
Clemens Vass,
Florian Schwarzhans,
Georg Fischer,
Michael Pircher,
Ursula SchmidtErfurth,
Christoph K. Hitzenberger
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.402475
Subject(s) - nerve fiber layer , glaucoma , retinal , optical coherence tomography , birefringence , ophthalmology , medicine , nerve fiber , optic nerve , retina , diabetic retinopathy , ocular hypertension , optics , anatomy , diabetes mellitus , physics , endocrinology
The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) is a fibrous tissue that shows form birefringence. This optical tissue property is related to the microstructure of the nerve fiber axons that carry electrical signals from the retina to the brain. Ocular diseases that are known to cause neurologic changes, like glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy (DR), might alter the birefringence of the RNFL, which could be used for diagnostic purposes. In this pilot study, we used a state-of-the-art polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) system with an integrated retinal tracker to analyze the RNFL birefringence in patients with glaucoma, DR, and in age-matched healthy controls. We recorded 3D PS-OCT raster scans of the optic nerve head area and high-quality averaged circumpapillary PS-OCT scans, from which RNFL thickness, retardation and birefringence were derived. The precision of birefringence measurements was 0.005°/µm. As compared to healthy controls, glaucoma patients showed a slightly reduced birefringence (0.129 vs. 0.135°/µm), although not statistically significant. The DR patients, however, showed a stronger reduction of RNFL birefringence (0.103 vs. 0.135°/µm) which was highly significant. This result might open new avenues into early diagnosis of DR and related neurologic changes.