Optical coherence tomography is highly sensitive in detecting prior optic neuritis.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Optic neuritis is an inflammatory condition affecting the optic nerve.
• Accurate detection of prior optic neuritis is crucial for patient management and prognosis.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique that visualizes retinal layers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the sensitivity of OCT in detecting prior unilateral optic neuritis.
• To compare the diagnostic performance of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness measurements.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study of 51 patients with unilateral optic neuritis.
• Comparison of OCT RNFL and GCIPL thicknesses between affected and unaffected eyes.
• Analysis of intereye differences and comparison with age-matched controls.

Main Results:

• Both RNFL and GCIPL thicknesses were significantly reduced in eyes with prior optic neuritis.
• GCIPL thinning (≥6 µm) was detected in 96% of affected eyes, showing higher sensitivity than RNFL thinning (≥9 µm) at 73%.
• Using intereye differences as a threshold yielded higher sensitivity than using the 1st percentile of controls.

Conclusions:

• OCT, particularly GCIPL analysis, is a sensitive tool for identifying prior optic neuritis.
• Utilizing intereye differences enhances the robustness of OCT in detecting optic neuritis.
• OCT provides Class III evidence for accurately identifying patients with a history of unilateral optic neuritis.