Retinal vessel oxygen saturation is affected in multiple sclerosis and optic neuritis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neurology
• Biomarkers

Background:

• Retinal structural and metabolic changes can indicate central nervous system diseases.
• Optical coherence tomography has revealed retinal structural alterations in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
• This study investigates potential changes in retinal oxygen levels in MS patients and eyes affected by optic neuritis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare retinal oxygen saturation levels between MS patients and healthy controls.
• To assess if retinal oxygen levels differ in MS patients with and without a history of optic neuritis.
• To explore the potential of retinal oximetry as a biomarker for MS and optic neuritis.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study comparing oxygen saturation in retinal blood vessels.
• Non-invasive spectrophotometric retinal oximetry was used to measure hemoglobin oxygen saturation.
• The study included 29 MS patients (12 with optic neuritis history) and 29 healthy controls.

Main Results:

• Retinal arteriolar oxygen saturation was significantly higher in MS patients (96.2%) than in controls (93.8%).
• Retinal venular oxygen saturation was significantly higher in MS patients (64.2%) compared to controls (59.3%).
• In MS patients, venular oxygen saturation was higher in eyes with optic neuritis (65.1%) than in unaffected fellow eyes (62.3%).

Conclusions:

• Retinal oxygen metabolism appears to be affected in MS and optic neuritis.
• Non-invasive retinal oxygen imaging shows promise as an objective biomarker for MS and optic neuritis.
• Further research is warranted to validate and expand upon these findings regarding retinal oxygenation in MS.