Morphology of optic disc through heidelberg retina tomograph in retinal vein occlusions alone or in combination with primary open angle glaucoma

Purpose: To evaluate the morphology of optic discs in eyes suffering from retinal vein occlusion (RVO) alone or in combination with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Methods: Prospective, observational study. 48 consecutive patients were enrolled, 30 with unilateral RVO diagnosis, 18 with unilateral retinal vein occlusion (RVO) associated with POAG. We divided RVOs on the basis of occlusion site: arterio-venous crossing (AV-RVO), optic cup (OC-RVO), optic nerve (ON-RVO) with head nerve swelling (ONHS-RVO) or without it (NONHS-RVO). A control group of 25 patients who were sex and age matched was selected.

Results: Comparing the fellow eyes of the patients with RVO and control healthy eyes, no differences emerged in cup/disc ratio but they came out for the HRT values in Rim Area, cup shape measure and height variation contour (p<0.05). The most frequent occlusion site was at the level of an arteriovenous crossing in patients not suffering from POAG (36.7%) and at the level of the optic cup in patients with RVO and POAG (50%). In the RVO group without POAG, the OC-RVO subgroup has shown an higher cup area (0.366±0.094) and cup/disc area ratio (0.184±0.063), a lower rim volume (0.374±0.021) and a different cup shape measure (-0.221±0.066) (p<0.05) compared with the AV and NONHS sites. Compared with NONHS group differences emerged also for the fibres parameters and in the height variation contour (0.346±0.081). Also in the RVO group with POAG significant differences (p<0.05) have been surveyed between OC-RVO and other occlusion sites in cup area (0.119±0.029), cup/disc area ratio (0.532±0.09), rim volume (0.374±0.07), cup/shape measure (-0.079±0.013).

Conclusions: Classification of the analyzed parameters on the basis of the occlusion site provides a basis for which clinical decisions and research on causal factors in future studies can be based on.