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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
Optical Coherence Tomography: Imaging Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells In Vivo
Published on: September 22, 2017
Assessment of glaucoma with retinal nerve fiber layer optical density ratios from volumetric optical coherence
Binyao Chen1, Shirong Chen1, Jianling Yang1
1Joint Shantou International Eye Center, Shantou University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shantou, Guangdong, China.
Objective:
To explore the impact of glaucoma on the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) optical density ratio (ODR) by volumetric optical coherence tomography (OCT) under different analytical radii.
Methods:
Twenty-five eyes identified as healthy and 57 eyes with a glaucoma diagnosis (23 mild and 34 moderate-advanced cases) underwent volumetric OCT scans centered at the optic nerve head. Cross-sectional images were obtained through 5 distinct analytical circles with varying radii. The distribution of RNFL ODRs was analysis and compared between normal eyes and glaucomatous eyes.
Results:
RNFL ODRs displayed significant variation in relation to their location across all examined eyes and respected the ISTN rule (inferior > superior > nasal > temporal, all p < 0.05). The ODRs differed significantly between normal and glaucomatous groups (all p < 0.001), decreasing as glaucoma progresses, both on average and in each quadrant of all analytical circles (all p < 0.001). The RNFL ODRs correlated significantly with the MD (R2 ranging from 0.553 to 0.585, all p < 0.001), with the most pronounced difference noted in the inferior-temporal sector between groups.
Conclusions:
RNFL ODRs by OCT imaging could serve as a valuable tool for detecting retinal nerve fiber defects in glaucomatous eyes.
