Association between ganglion cell complex and axial length.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• The macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC) is a key indicator of retinal health.
• Axial length is a crucial parameter in refractive error and ocular development.
• Understanding the relationship between axial length and mGCC is important for diagnosing and monitoring eye conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between individual layers of the macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC) and axial length.
• To assess the repeatability of mGCC measurements using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 101 healthy young women.
• Measurements of mGCC were taken twice using 3D-OCT 2000 (Topcon).
• Single regression analysis was used to determine associations between mGCC and axial length; repeatability was assessed using ICC, CoV, and TRTSD.

Main Results:

• mGCC measurements demonstrated high repeatability (ICC: 0.980–0.997).
• Increased axial length correlated with decreased total mGCC thickness (-1.4 μm/mm, p=0.018).
• Increased axial length correlated with increased total macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL) thickness (+1.1 μm/mm, p<0.01) and macular ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer (mGCL+) thickness (-2.5 μm/mm, p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• 3D OCT-2000 provides repeatable mGCC measurements in healthy young individuals.
• Increased axial length is associated with a decrease in total mGCC.
• An inverse correlation exists between axial length and total mRNFL and mGCL+ thickness.