Detection of retinal nerve fiber layer in patients with high myopia complicated with glaucoma by optical coherence tomography

Objective To detect the changes in the thickness of the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) in patients with High Myopia (HM) complicated with glaucoma through Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Methods 80 patients (160 eyes) with HM complicated with glaucoma treated from March 2018 to March 2020 were enrolled as the experimental group, and 60 healthy volunteers (120 eyes) undergoing physical examination in the same period were selected as the control group. OCT measured their RNFL thicknesses. Results Compared with that in the control group, the nasal, supratemporal, subnasal, supranasal, and infratemporal RNFL thickness and overall mean RNFL thickness in the experimental group was significantly decreased, while the temporal RNFL thickness was significantly increased in the experimental group ( P < 0.05). According to the diopter, patients in the experimental group were assigned into group A ( n = 25, 50 eyes, diopter range: ≥ −6.00 D and ≤ −8.00 D), group B ( n = 30, 60 eyes, diopter range: > −8.00 D and ≤ −10.00 D) and group C ( n = 25, 50 eyes, diopter range: > −10.00 D). The nasal, supratemporal, subnasal, supranasal, and infratemporal RNFL thickness and overall mean RNFL thickness in group A were significantly greater than those in groups B and C ( P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the absolute value of diopter was negatively correlated with the nasal, supratemporal, subnasal, supranasal, and infratemporal RNFL thickness and overall mean RNFL thickness ( P < 0.05), and positively correlated with the thickness of temporal RNFL ( P < 0.05). Conclusion In patients with HM complicated with glaucoma, RNFL is thinner in all quadrants except for temporal RNFL.