Retinal nerve fibre layer atrophy in multiple sclerosis A reappraisal

ABSTRACT

A controlled study assessed the reliability of retinal nerve fibre layer defects as paraclinical evidence for use in the diagnostic classification of multiple sclerosis (MS). The retinal nerve fibre layer was photographed in 29 cases with MS and 22 healthy volunteers. No significant differences were found between the observed occurrence of retinal nerve fibre layer defects in the MS and control groups. It is suggested that retinal nerve fibre layer defects may be a sign of axonal involvement regardless of the topography of the initial lesion and should not be used as paraclinical evidence in the diagnosis of MS at present.

Key words:

• multiple sclerosis
• retinal nerve fibre layer
• retinal slits