Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in human eyes

Abstract · Background: A study was carried out to measure the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) at the optic disc border. · Methods: RNFL thickness at the optic disc border was histomorphometrically measured on histological sections of 22 human eyes with normal optic nerves and 21 human eyes with absolute secondary angle-closure glaucoma. For three eyes with normal optic nerves, serial sections through the whole optic disc area were available. · Results: In the eyes with normal optic nerves, the RNFL at the optic disc border showed a double hump configuration with the highest mean thickness in the inferior quadrant (mean ± S.D: 266±64 µm), followed by the superior quadrant (240±57 µm), the nasal quadrant (220±70 µm), and finally the temporal quadrant (170±58 µm). In the three globes with serial sections, RNFL was thickest at the inferior disc pole (397±58 µm), followed by the superior disc pole (313±38 µm), the nasal disc pole (165±19 µm), and finally the temporal disc pole (131±15 µm). In the eyes with absolute glaucoma, mean thickness of the remainder of the RNFL was 40±18 µm with no marked differences between the disc regions. · Conclusions: In normal eyes, the RNFL shows a double hump configuration with its thinnest part at the temporal disc pole, followed by the nasal disc pole and the superior disc pole. RNFL is thickest at the inferior disc pole. In glaucomatous optic neuropathy, the inner limiting membrane moves backward about 60–100 µm at the temporal disc border, and more than 200 µm at the inferior and superior disc poles.

[1]  R. Radius Thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer in primate eyes. , 1980, Archives of ophthalmology.

[2]  H A Quigley,et al.  Regional differences in the structure of the lamina cribrosa and their relation to glaucomatous optic nerve damage. , 1981, Archives of ophthalmology.

[3]  R. Radius Regional specificity in anatomy at the lamina cribrosa. , 1981, Archives of ophthalmology.

[4]  H A Quigley,et al.  Quantitative studies of retinal nerve fiber layer defects. , 1982, Archives of ophthalmology.

[5]  Thomas E. Ogden,et al.  Nerve fiber layer of the primate retina: Thickness and glial content , 1983, Vision Research.

[6]  T. Ogden Nerve fiber layer of the primate retina: morphometric analysis. , 1984, Investigative ophthalmology & visual science.

[7]  M Schulzer,et al.  The effect of age on the nerve fiber population of the human optic nerve. , 1984, American journal of ophthalmology.

[8]  Airaksinen Pj,et al.  Neuroretinal rim area and retinal nerve fiber layer in glaucoma. , 1985 .

[9]  Neuroretinal rim area and retinal nerve fiber layer in glaucoma. , 1985, Archives of ophthalmology.

[10]  J. Jonas,et al.  Optic disc, cup and neuroretinal rim size, configuration and correlations in normal eyes. , 1988, Investigative ophthalmology & visual science.

[11]  J. Jonas,et al.  The retinal nerve fiber layer in normal eyes. , 1989, Ophthalmology.

[12]  B. Schwartz,et al.  Photogrammetric measurement of nerve fiber layer thickness. , 1989, Ophthalmology.

[13]  R. Burk Analysis of three-dimensional optic disk topography by laser scanning tomography parameter definition and evaluation of parameter inter-dependence , 1990 .

[14]  Measurement of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and its functional correlations with the visual field. , 1992, Bulletin de la Societe belge d'ophtalmologie.

[15]  J. Jonas,et al.  Human optic nerve fiber count and optic disc size. , 1992, Investigative ophthalmology & visual science.

[16]  J. Jonas,et al.  Decreased choroidal thickness in eyes with secondary angle closure glaucoma. An aetiological factor for deep retinal changes in glaucoma? , 1993, The British journal of ophthalmology.

[17]  T Takamoto,et al.  Differences of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness between normal and glaucoma‐like optic disks (physiological cups) Matched by optic disk area , 1993, Acta ophthalmologica.

[18]  J. Jonas,et al.  Retinal photoreceptor count, retinal surface area, and optic disc size in normal human eyes. , 1994, Ophthalmology.

[19]  L. Zangwill,et al.  Scanning laser polarimetry to measure the nerve fiber layer of normal and glaucomatous eyes. , 1995, American journal of ophthalmology.

[20]  E A Swanson,et al.  Quantification of nerve fiber layer thickness in normal and glaucomatous eyes using optical coherence tomography. , 1995, Archives of ophthalmology.

[21]  R Varma,et al.  Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in normal human eyes. , 1996, Ophthalmology.