Serial analysis of macular and circumpapillary structures in glaucomatous eyes with peripapillary retinoschisis.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of peripapillary retinoschisis (PPRS) on circumpapillary and macular retinal thickness and its correlation with longitudinal changes in the visual field.

METHODS

A wide-field scan using swept-source optical coherence tomography was performed to measure the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thickness. The relationship between longitudinal measurements of cpRNFL, mGCIPL thickness, and visual field index (VFI) was assessed using repeated-measures correlation. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between the VFI change rate and the change rates of cpRNFL or mGCIPL thickness.

RESULTS

A total of 25 eyes were included in the final analysis. The cpRNFL thickness significantly increased with PPRS (P < .001) and decreased after the resolution of PPRS (P < .001), whereas the mGCIPL thickness did not change with PPRS (all P > .05). The longitudinal measurements of cpRNFL thickness did not show a significant correlation with VFI (P = .560), nor did its change rate correlate significantly with the progression rate of VFI (P = .294). In contrast, mGCIPL thickness exhibited a significant correlation with the VFI (P < .001), and its change rate also showed a significant correlation with the progression rate of the VFI (P = .035).

CONCLUSIONS

The mGCIPL thickness could serve as a reliable marker for assessing progression in glaucomatous eyes with PPRS. Monitoring changes in each parameter across consecutive tests is essential to identifying the most appropriate marker for detecting glaucoma progression, given that structural alterations such as PPRS may occur in glaucomatous eyes.