Peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in women with iron deficiency anaemia

Objective: To evaluate peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness in adult women with iron deficiency anaemia and healthy control subjects.

Methods: Women with iron deficiency anaemia and age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were sequentially recruited and underwent detailed ophthalmic examination, including spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Serum haemoglobin (Hb), iron and ferritin concentrations, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) and mean corpuscular volume were determined.

Results: Peripapillary RNFL thicknesses in the nasal and inferior quadrants were significantly smaller in patients (n = 40) than in controls (n = 40). In the patient group, there were significant correlations between inferior quadrant RNFL thickness and Hb, and between nasal quadrant RNFL thickness and serum iron and ferritin concentrations, and TIBC.

Conclusion: Iron deficiency anaemia reduces RNFL thickness in adult women.