The Progression of Peripapillary Retinoschisis May Indicate the Progression of Glaucoma

To identify the temporal correlation between the increase in peripapillary retinoschisis (PPRS) and glaucoma progression during PPRS fluctuation.

We performed a comparative clinical timeline analysis for PPRS and glaucomatous progression in eyes with PPRS. In particular, the interval between the increase in PPRS extent and glaucoma progression was analyzed. Temporal correlation was defined when the interval was less than one year between glaucoma progression and PPRS increase, including both de novo development and an increase in the amount of retinoschisis on serial optical coherence tomography.

We included 33 eyes of 30 patients, with an average follow-up period of 7.5 ± 3.0 years and a total of 253 glaucoma examinations. Glaucoma progression was observed in 21 of 33 eyes; 19 (90.5%) of the 21 eyes with glaucoma progression and 29 (74.4%) of the 39 episodes of PPRS increase showed temporal correlation. The de novo development of PPRS during the follow-up period over baseline PPRS was more frequently observed in the glaucoma progression group than in the no-progression group (P = 0.006).

In glaucomatous eyes with PPRS, the increase in PPRS temporally correlated with glaucoma progression. Possible glaucoma progression may be considered around the time of increase and de novo development of PPRS.