Correlation of fourier domain optical coherence tomography retinal nerve fiber layer maps with visual fields in non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy

Background and objectives: To corlate peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL) loss and visual field defects in nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Patients and methods: Patients with NAION and control subjects were enrolled in a case-control study. Participants were scanned with a Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. Peripapillary NFL thickness was averaged in hemispheric, quadrant, and octant divisions. Standard achromatic static perimetry was used to assess visual fields. Results: The reproducibility of peripapillary NFL parameters was excellent in both the healthy and NAION groups. Eyes in the NAION group showed a significant decrease of peripapillary NFL thickness in terms of the overall average, all quadrant averages, and all octants. There were statistically significant correlations between the peripapillary NFL and visual fields in terms of both overall averages and superior-inferior differences. Conclusion: In NAION, the visual field and peripapillary NFL losses are correlated in both severity and location. Fourier domain OCT provides reproducible measurement of the peripapillary NFL and may be useful in the assessment of NAION.