Changes of retinal nerve fiber layer after acute primary angle closure

Purpose To evaluate the changes of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness after a-cute primary angle closure (APAC) with normal visual field. Methods Thirty-one patients who had a single unilateral APAC attack with normal visual field at 3 months after remission were enrolled in this study. Thirty randomly selected normal eyes of thirty age- and gender-matched subjects served as controls. Average RNFL thickness and RNFL thickness in four quadrants and in 12-o'clock-hour segments were measured in the attacked eyes, unaffected fellow eyes and normal controls using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Results Significant differences were demonstrated comparing the average, the inferior quadrant and 6-o'clock segment RNFL thickness for the attacked eyes with those of fellow eyes and controls(P0. 05). In the attacked eyes, 7-o'clock segment thickness was lower than in normal controls(P0. 05). There was significant correlation between the average RNFL thickness of the attacked eyes and the duration of attack (P0. 001). Conclusions After an episode of APAC, average RNFL thickness and RNFL thickness of inferior region were found to decrease significantly in the attacked eyes although with normal visual field.