Retinal Structural Integrity and Visual Field Function in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)
Abstract
The visual system is vulnerable to traumatic brain injury. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an objective, non-invasive imaging technology to capture and evaluate ocular structures with precision and high resolution. Also, standard automated perimetry (SAP) is widely used to screen and manage afferent disorders, including optic nerve conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate optic nerve, macular thickness, and visual field functions in patients with chronic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and macular thickness were measured using the HRA-SPECTRALIS from Heidelberg Engineering. Standard automated perimetry was assessed using the Humphrey Field Analyzer from Carl Zeiss Meditec with Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm (SITA). The study found a reduction in the global pRNFL and visual field sensitivity and their deviation from age-expected values in patients with chronic mTBI compared to age-matched, healthy controls suggest that OCT and SAP can be utilized to assist in monitoring neurodegeneration and functional deficits after mTBI. Alterations in the axoplasmic flow in the prelaminar and post-laminar optic nerve may lead to thinning of the peripapillary RNFL. The reduction in the RNFL thickness could be a structural biomarker of the neurodegeneration after mTBI.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 14, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1210145
Entities
People
- Suresh Viswanathan
- Toan M. Trinh
Organizations
- State University of New York College of Optometry
- United States Army