Hematological indicators and ocular parameters in patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy

To evaluate the clinical significance of hematological indicators and ocular parameters in patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).

In this retrospective study, 31 NAION patients and 117 age- and gender-matched control subjects were enrolled in 2019-2024. All participants underwent a comprehensive eye examination and received a complete blood count. Hematological parameters (leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width (PDW), activated partial thromboplastin time, and international normalized ration) and ocular parameters including axial length and anterior chamber depth were collected. Analysis of variance, multivariate logistic regression and a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were used for statistics.

Hematological indicators and inflammatory markers, including systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ration (NLR), white blood cell, monocytes, and PDW values of NAION patients were notably higher than those of the control groups (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression identified a significant correlation only between higher levels of PDW and NAION (p = 0.001). The optimal cut-off value of PDW was 14.65, featuring 75.9% sensitivity and 66.4% specificity. However, there was no statistical difference between the NAION patients and the controls in ocular parameters.

Inflammatory hematological indicators were significantly increased in NAION patients, and PDW might serve as a new marker for the clinical management of NAION patients.