The impact of celiac disease and duration of gluten free diet on anterior and posterior ocular structures: Ocular imaging based study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the eyes of adult celiac disease (CD) patients and investigate the association between these ocular parameters with celiac specific antibodies and duration of gluten free diet (GFD).

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 72 eyes of 36 CD patients (18-51 years of age) and 70 eyes of 35 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. In addition to a complete ophthalmologic examination, all patients were scanned by a Scheimpflug camera, specular microscopy and spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

RESULTS

Endothelial cell density (ECD), anterior chamber angle (ACA) degrees, anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber volume (ACV) and central macular thickness (CMT) values were lower in CD patients as compared with control group (p values = 0.038, 0.024, 0.002, 0.038 and 0.046 respectively). ECD and CMT were lower in celiac patients whom endomysial antibodies (EMA) IgA were positive (p = 0.001, p = 0.042 respectively). Tissue transglutaminase IgA antibody (anti tTG IgA) was weakly positively correlated (p > 0.05) with ACD, and positively (r = 0.319; p < 0.05) correlated with ACV. As the duration of compliance to the diet increased in the celiac group the mean and inferior retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness decreased (p = 0.035, p = 0.008 respectively). Mean, inferior and temporal RNFL thicknesses were lower in celiac patients whose duration of GFD was longer than 5 years (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Decreases in ECD, ACA degree, ACD, ACV and CMT can occur in CD patients. In adult celiac patients; ECD, CMT might be effected in the presence of positive EMA, and ACD, ACV might be effected in the presence of higher anti tTG IgA titer. Adult celiac patients who had longer duration of GFD may have thinner RNFL. RNFL may be thinner in celiac patients who comply with GFD for more than 5 years.