Atherogenic indices in non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Cardiovascular Research
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is a leading cause of optic nerve damage.
• Atherogenic indices, derived from lipid profiles, are markers of cardiovascular risk.
• The relationship between atherogenic indices and NAION outcomes remains under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate atherogenic indices in patients with NAION.
• To explore the association between these indices and visual acuity.
• To determine if atherogenic indices correlate with bilateral sequential involvement in NAION.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study including 65 NAION patients and 48 healthy controls.
• Collected demographic and laboratory data from electronic medical records.
• Calculated atherogenic indices and analyzed their association with visual acuity and disease laterality.

Main Results:

• NAION patients exhibited significantly higher non-traditional serum lipid ratios compared to controls.
• Lower visual acuity (≤20/200) in NAION patients correlated with elevated TC/HDL-c, LDL-c/HDL-c, and non-HDL-c/HDL-c.
• A trend suggested higher atherogenic indices in NAION patients with bilateral sequential involvement, though not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• Non-traditional lipid ratios are significantly associated with NAION.
• Atherogenic indices show potential as predictors for visual loss severity in NAION.
• These lipid markers may also indicate the risk of second eye involvement in NAION patients.