[Retinal nerve fiber layer and macular thickness in the fellow eyes of patients with anisometropic amblyopia].

OBJECTIVE

To measure the retinal structure of the fellow eyes of patients with anisometropic amblyopes with retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), macular thickness (MT), and their correlations with axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent (SE).

METHODS

AL was measured by IOLMaster. RNFLT and MT were obtained through optical coherence tomography (OCT). The data of the 56 unilateral amblyopes (56 fellow eyes) were compared with those of 170 normal eyes from 85 age-matched people.

RESULTS

The fellow eyes had thicker RNFLT (RNFLT-fc), temporal RNFLT (RNFLT-t) and inferior (RNFLT-i); and thinner nasal RNFLT (RNFLT-n) than the normal eyes. But no statistically significant differences in superior RNFLT (RNFLT-s) and MT were found between the fellow eyes and normal eyes. After adjustments for age, gender and AL or SE, only the change of RNFLT-t remained significant (P < 0.05 ). Partial correlation analysis between the thickness values and AL/SE adjusted for age and gender showed different trends between the fellow eyes and normal eyes. Multiple linear regression adjusted for age and gender also obtained different coefficients between the fellow eyes and normal eyes. Independent sample t test found no difference in thickness parameters between occlusion and non-occlusion eyes in patients with anisometropic amblyopes.

CONCLUSION

Fellow eyes of patients with anisometropic amblyopes have subnormal retinal structure despite a normal corrected visual acuity. Occlusion does not affect the retinal structure. AL or SE can affect the measurements of RNFLT.