Subclinical inner retinal layer thickness changes in the fellow eyes of patients with unilateral central retinal artery occlusion: a pilot study

PURPOSE

To investigate microstructural changes in the macular inner retinal layers over time in the fellow eyes of patients with unilateral central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO).

METHODS

Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography scans of 16 patients with CRAO were performed at initial examination (1st day), at 1st month, at 3rd month, at 6th month, and the central macular thickness (CMT) and inner retinal layer thicknesses in the fellow eyes of the patients were compared between each visit. The thicknesses of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), and inner nuclear layer (INL) were calculated in 9 quadrants according to the definition by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study.

RESULTS

CMT decreased over a 6-month period, but the difference was insignificant among visits (p = 0.072). Also, there were no significant differences in the thicknesses of RNFL and GCL among visits (p > 0.05 for all quadrants). But there was thinning in the parafoveal superior and perifoveal superior quadrants of the IPL (p = 0.007, p = 0.01) and in the parafoveal temporal quadrant of the INL (p = 0.033) within 6 months of follow-up in the fellow eyes of the patients with CRAO.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated subclinical alterations of the macular inner retinal layers over time in the fellow eyes of CRAO patients.

The Frequency and Causes of Blindness in a Rural Region of Central Anatolia of Turkey

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and primary causes of blindness in adults aged 18 years and more in Sarıkaya rural region of Yozgat, Turkey, to contribute to the epidemiologic information about blindness in our country.

Materials and Methods

Patients who were examined between October 2016 and March 2017 in Sarıkaya State Hospital, Clinic of Ophthalmology, were prospectively investigated. Demographic and ophthalmic examination data, presented visual acuities (VA), primary causes of blindness, and monocular blindness were recorded. Blindness was defined as presented visual acuities (VA) definition of World Health Organization criteria.

Results

A total of 3423 participants, aged 18-96 years, were examined. Among them, 1887 participants (55%) were female and 1536 (45%) were male. The frequency of blindness was 1.5% (95% CI: 1.1%-2.0%); and cataract was the primary cause of blindness (42%). Age-related macular degeneration (21%) and uncorrected refractive error (13%) were the next main causes of blindness. The frequency of monocular blindness was 4% (95% CI: 3.8%-5.2%), and cataract (27%) followed by phthisis bulbi/evisceration (13%) and glaucoma (12%) were the leading causes of monocular blindness.

Conclusion

In this rural region of Central Anatolia, the primary cause of blindness and monocular blindness was an unoperated cataract. The patterns of age-specific causes of blindness are variable, but most of them are avoidable or treatable. Thus, awareness should be increased in societies, and people should be prevented from blindness with health-care programs in rural regions of developing countries.