The changes in retinal nerve fiber layer and macular thickness in Chinese patients with alcohol dependency

This study examined the changes in the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and the macular thickness in Chinese patients with alcohol dependency and ascertaining the influence of optic cup volume on cognitive functioning.

A total of 26 alcohol-dependent patients and 53 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. All subjects underwent Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) measurement and were scanned via spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Compared with the healthy controls, the alcohol-dependent patients returned lower scores across all subscales and total RBANS scores. The total thickness of the RNFL of the left eye, temporal and nasal RNFLthickness of both eyes were thinner in the alcohol-dependent patients (all p < 0.05). In terms of macular thickness, eight macular regions and the average thickness of the right eye and three of the left eye were thinner in the alcohol-dependent patients than in the healthy controls. The linear regression analysis indicated that a higher alcohol consumption was associated with thinner RNFL and macular thickness especially in temporal and inferior quadrant region after controlling for smoker status, age, BMI, cholesterol level and AKT level.

A higher alcohol consumption was significantly associated with thinner RNFL and macular thickness, indicating that alcohol is a potential risk factor affecting RNFL thickness and macular thickness. Meanwhile, the increase in optic cup volume was associated with the reduced cognitive functioning of the alcohol-dependent patients.