Fourier-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography and Microperimetry Findings in Retinitis Pigmentosa

PURPOSE: To investigate the relation between the optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings and retinal sensitivity in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) by assessing the retinal thickness and retinal function using Fourier-domain OCT (FD-OCT) and microperimetry, respectively. DESIGN: Observational case series. METHODS: Fifty-nine patients (118 eyes) were enrolled, mean age 47 +/- 14.8 years. Thirty-two healthy subjects (HS) were enrolled as a control group. Patients were assessed by means of FD-OCT and microperimetry. We analyzed the average foveal thickness (diameter of 1 mm centered on the point of fixation), the value of the retinal sensitivities corresponding to the 4 degrees centered on the fixation point, and logMAR visual acuity for regression analysis converted from Snellen chart. RESULTS: We distinguished 4 groups of RP patients according to the macular pattern seen on OCT images. The first group of 36 eyes, mean age of 33.5 +/- 7.4 years, had no macular changes, mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 0.95 +/- 0.07, mean foveal thickness of 256.3 +/- 9.14 mu m, and mean retinal sensitivities inside the central 4 degrees of 19.27 +/- 0.87 dB (P > .05 for all the values). The second group of 28 eyes, mean age 35.4 +/- 6.3 years, showed clinical macular edema (CME) on OCT images with mean BCVA of 0.72 +/- 0.22, mean foveal thickness of 363.5 +/- 93.45 mu m, and mean retinal sensitivity inside the central 4 degrees of 15.94 +/- 3.6 dB (P < .01 for all the values). The third group of 26 eyes, mean age 50.8 +/- 8.7 years, showed macular vitreoretinal traction on OCT images with a mean BCVA of 0.5 +/- 0.2, mean foveal thickness of 337.1 +/- 71.7 mu m, and mean retinal sensitivity inside the central 4 degrees of 11.78 +/- 3.09 dB (P < .01 for all the values). The last group of 28 eyes, mean age 52.1 +/- 13.6 years, showed macular retinal thinning on OCT images with mean BCVA of 0.36 +/- 0.15, mean foveal thickness of 174.2 +/- 24.40 mu m, and mean retinal sensitivity inside the central 4 degrees of 10.22 +/- 3.82 dB (P < .01 for all the values). CONCLUSIONS: MP-1 and FD-OCT showed high sensitivity for identifying functional and structural macular abnormalities, respectively. Future studies should investigate the relationships among photoreceptor cell loss, retinal sensitivity, and fixation in patients with RP. (Am J Ophthalmol 2011;151:106-111. (C) 2011 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)