Retinal nerve fiber layer sector-specific compromise in relapsing and remitting multiple sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Multiple Sclerosis Research

Background:

• Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) is a chronic neurological disease.
• Optic nerve damage, including retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning, is a common manifestation of MS.
• Quantifying RNFL thickness and macular volume can aid in understanding disease progression and impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate quadrant and sector RNFL thickness and total macular volume (TMV) in RR-MS patients.
• To compare these optical coherence tomography (OCT) measures between MS-affected eyes, MS-unaffected eyes, and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Utilized optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure RNFL thickness and TMV.
• Studied 321 eyes without prior optic neuritis (MS unaffected), 151 eyes with prior optic neuritis (MS affected), and 148 healthy control eyes.
• Analyzed RNFL thickness across superior, inferior, and temporal quadrants and overall TMV.

Main Results:

• Significantly reduced mean RNFL thickness was observed in both MS-affected and MS-unaffected eyes compared to controls (p < 0.0001).
• Specific quadrant RNFL reductions were noted in both MS groups (p < 0.001 for unaffected, p < 0.0001 for affected).
• Total macular volume (TMV) was significantly decreased in both MS-affected and MS-unaffected eyes relative to controls (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

• Quadrant, sector, and peripapillary RNFL thicknesses are significant individual measures in RR-MS.
• These OCT-derived measures are valuable for both affected and unaffected eyes in RR-MS patients.
• RNFL and TMV measurements may prove valuable in future RR-MS biomarker and outcomes research.