Optic Nerve Head Parameters and Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To quantify the optic nerve head (ONH) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness in patients with Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and compare the measurements with a healthy control group.

Methods

In a comparative cross-sectional observational study, ONH and pRNFL thickness were evaluated in patients with a history of COVID-19, at least 2 weeks after recovery from the systemic disease, and compared with an age-matched, normal control group.

Results

Thirty COVID-19 patients along with 60 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were studied. Mean average pRNFL thickness was 105.0 ± 16.3 µm in the COVID-19 patients, compared to 99.0 ± 9.0 µm in the controls (p = .31). The pRNFL thicknesses in all sectors was higher in patients with a history of COVID-19; however, this did not reach statistical significance. Similarly, ONH parameters were not significantly different between the groups.

Conclusion

Patients recovered from COVID-19 had unremarkable alterations in the peripapillary RNFL thickness.

Abbreviations

ONH: Optic Nerve HeadRNFL: Retinal Nerve Fiber LayerSD-OCT: Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence TomographyCOVID-19: Coronavirus Disease 2019SARS-CoV-2: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2CNS: Central Nervous SystemACE: Angiotensin-Converting EnzymeRT-PCR: Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction

KEYWORDS:

• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
• optic nerve head
• optic disc
• retinal nerve fiber layer

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Azam Sadat Salehnezhad at Khatam Eye Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. It is a pleasure for us to also acknowledge the kind supports of Mr. Yazdan Karimi. 

Financial disclosure

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Vice-Chancellor of Research of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences for this research project [990069]. The funding organization had no role in the design or conduct of this research.