Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
07:08
Using Optical Coherence Tomography and Optokinetic Response As Structural and Functional Visual System Readouts in Mice and Rats
Published on: January 10, 2019
Changepoint analysis of longitudinal OCT in optic neuritis: Structural stabilization dynamics and clinical correlates
Yeji Moon1, Byung Joo Lee2, Hyunjin Kim3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 05505, Republic of Korea. yjmoon.e@gmail.com.
Summary
Macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thinning stabilizes sooner than peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) after optic neuritis (ON). This mGCIPL stabilization timing predicts visual outcomes, highlighting the need for prompt treatment.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Optic neuritis (ON) causes damage to the optic nerve, leading to thinning of retinal nerve fiber layers.
- Understanding the timeline of structural recovery is crucial for assessing disease progression and treatment efficacy.
- Previous studies have not precisely defined the stabilization point of retinal layer thinning after ON.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the structural stabilization timing (changepoint) of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) after optic neuritis (ON).
- To identify clinical predictors associated with these stabilization timings.
- To evaluate the prognostic significance of these changepoints on visual outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 70 eyes from 56 patients with various subtypes of ON (AQP4-ON, MOG-ON, MS-ON, iON).
- Longitudinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) data were used to interpolate pRNFL and mGCIPL thickness.
- Changepoint analysis defined as the earliest time of layer thickness stabilization within a test-retest threshold.
Main Results:
- Mean stabilization occurred at 4.3 months for pRNFL and 3.4 months for mGCIPL.
- Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-positive ON (MOG-ON) showed delayed pRNFL stabilization.
- Delayed mGCIPL stabilization correlated with younger age, worse baseline visual acuity, and longer onset-to-steroid interval, predicting poorer 1-year visual outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) stabilizes earlier than pRNFL post-ON, with its recovery timing reflecting injury severity and treatment delay.
- Changepoint analysis using OCT provides a quantitative method to monitor ON disease dynamics.
- Early anti-inflammatory therapy is suggested to mitigate neuronal injury and improve long-term vision.
