Comparison of glaucomatous from non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy using Bruch's membrane opening minimum rim width...

To compare glaucomatous from non-glaucomatous optic atrophy using optical coherence tomography (OCT) based on the measurement values of Bruch's membrane opening minimum rim width (BMO-MRW), which is a difficult task otherwise due to their varied course of disease progression, treatment protocols, and systemic association to visual impairment.

This study was conducted in 40 eyes, comprising 20 eyes with non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy (NGON) and 20 eyes with glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON). All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination followed by an OCT optic disc scan to calculate the measurement of BMO-MRW.

The 5-fold cross-validated area under the curve for GON versus NGON from logistic regression models was 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.86-1.00) using BMO-MRW values from all sectors. The results revealed that the measurements were significantly lesser in GON than in NGON patients.

Hence, OCT-based BMO-MRW values could be used as an additional test to compare glaucomatous with non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy patients, especially in cases of high clinical suspicion.