Visual dysfunction and its correlation with retinal changes in patients with Parkinson's disease: an observational...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neurology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting motor function.
• Visual dysfunction is increasingly recognized as a non-motor symptom in PD.
• Early detection of visual impairment can aid in managing PD progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate visual dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.
• To correlate functional visual deficits with structural retinal changes.
• To identify potential biomarkers for visual impairment in PD.

Main Methods:

• Observational cross-sectional study comparing 37 PD patients and 37 controls.
• Comprehensive visual function tests: visual acuity, color vision (Farnsworth and Lanthony desaturated D15), and contrast sensitivity (Pelli-Robson, CSV 1000E).
• Retinal structural analysis using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) for RNFL, macular, and GCL thickness.

Main Results:

• PD patients showed significantly worse visual acuity and contrast sensitivity across various parameters.
• Color vision was notably affected in PD patients, particularly with the Lanthony test.
• Significant ganglion cell layer (GCL) loss was detected, with a strong correlation between GCL measurements and visual function.

Conclusions:

• Parkinson's disease patients experience significant visual dysfunction.
• Retinal structural changes, especially GCL thinning, are correlated with visual impairment in PD.
• GCL measurements show promise as reliable indicators for visual impairment in PD patients.