Parafoveal Microperimetric Retinal Sensitivity as a Key Parameter Associated with Vision Loss in Retinitis Pigmentosa

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging
• Visual Electrophysiology

Background:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has limitations in monitoring subtle retinitis pigmentosa (RP) changes.
• Accurate assessment of RP progression requires refined methods for evaluating visual function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify precise microperimetric parameters for assessing disease severity in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients.
• To establish a microperimetric visual function index correlated with visual acuity and fundus autofluorescence.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional and retrospective study involving 39 eyes of RP patients.
• Evaluation of associations between visual acuity (VA), OCT, fundus autofluorescence (FAF), and microperimetric measures.
• Logistic regression and ROC curve analysis to determine key microperimetric parameters.

Main Results:

• Deep scotoma count and mean retinal sensitivity at the parafoveal inner ring were significantly associated with decreased VA.
• Deep scotoma count at the inner ring showed the highest AUROC (0.829) for disease severity identification.
• A microperimetric visual function index based on deep scotoma count correlated significantly with VA and FAF patterns.

Conclusions:

• Deep scotoma count in the parafoveal inner ring is a crucial microperimetric parameter for evaluating vision loss in RP.
• RP patients with four or more deep scotoma points in the parafoveal inner ring are likely to have functional low vision.
• Microperimetry offers valuable insights into RP disease progression and visual function assessment.