Covariation of optic disc measurements and ocular parameters in the healthy eye

To understand the variations in optic disc topography that may affect the local susceptibility of nerve fibers to glaucomatous damage, we evaluated the correlations between optic disc topography and selected ocular parameters in 210 normal eyes of healthy Japanese. In the total study group, eyes with a longer axial length had a longer distance between the disc and foveola, a larger index of ovalness and a larger disc (P < 0.01). A longer disc-foveola distance correlated with a larger index of ovalness (P < 0.01). The optic discs of severely myopic eyes had a considerably different structure from other eyes. Eyes with a tilted optic disc were unique in that the area of the optic disc was not large despite a positive correlation with long axial length (P < 0.01) a long disc-foveola distance (P < 0.01), and a large index of ovalness (P < 0.01). Eyes with a rotated optic disc were another special case. This eye type correlated in a contradictory fashion with two parameters: a large axial length (P < 0.01) and a short disc-foveola distance (P < 0.01). These findings suggest that changes in optic disc topography or susceptibility to glaucomatous damage correlate with selected ocular parameters but are not completely parallel.