Outer nuclear layer relevance in visual function correlated to quantitative enface OCT parameters in Stargardt...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging
• Vision Science

Background:

• Stargardt Disease (STGD) is a common inherited macular dystrophy.
• Accurate assessment of visual function in STGD is crucial for monitoring disease progression and treatment efficacy.
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) offers detailed cross-sectional imaging of retinal layers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) and specific Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) parameters in Stargardt Disease (STGD).
• To evaluate Central Retinal Thickness (CR-T), Central Outer Nuclear Layer Thickness (C-ONL-T), macular Photoreceptor loss Area (PHRa), and Retinal Pigment Epithelium loss Area (RPEa) in relation to BCVA.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-four eyes from 32 STGD patients were analyzed.
• Standard and enface OCT scans were utilized to measure CR-T, C-ONL-T, PHRa, and RPEa.
• Statistical analysis assessed the association between these OCT parameters and BCVA.

Main Results:

• The mean PHRa was 16.16 ± 13.36 mm² and RPEa was 12.05 ± 12.57 mm².
• Mean CR-T was 120.78 ± 41.49 μm, and mean C-ONL-T was 4.60 ± 13.73 μm.
• BCVA demonstrated the strongest correlation with C-ONL-T (r = -0.72, p < 0.001), but not with CR-T (r = -0.17, p = 1.00).

Conclusions:

• Enface OCT provides efficient quantitative assessment of macular atrophy in STGD.
• Outer Nuclear Layer (ONL) thickness is the most significant OCT parameter correlating with visual acuity in STGD patients.
• C-ONL-T measurement via OCT is a valuable tool for predicting visual function in STGD.