Peripapillary retinal splitting visualized on OCT in glaucoma and glaucoma suspect patients

PURPOSE: To identify the risk factors for development of peripapillary retinal splitting (schisis) in patients with glaucoma or suspicion of glaucoma. SETTING: Glaucoma Clinic, Department of Ophthalmology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL. METHODS: In this institutional cross-sectional study, 495 patients (990 eyes) who had undergone spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT Spectralis HRA-OCT, Heidelberg Engineering) optic nerve head (ONH) imaging and did not have identifiable optic nerve pits, pseudopits or coloboma were included. OCT scans were reviewed by two observers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of peripapillary retinal splitting identified on OCT raster scans. RESULTS: Eleven of 990 glaucoma and glaucoma suspect eyes (1.1%) of 7 patients (2 females, 5 males, mean age 64.5 ± 9.2 years) had peripapillary retinal splitting. Two of these 11 eyes had extension of the splitting into the macula but none to the fovea. Of these 11 patients, 2 (28.6%) were glaucoma suspects, 3 (42.9%) had primary open-angle glaucoma, 1 (14.3%) had chronic angle-closure glaucoma and 1 (14.3%) had pigmentary glaucoma. 7/11 (63.6%) eyes had vitreous traction to the disc visualized on OCT and 6/11 eyes (54.5%) had beta-zone peripapillary atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: We observed peripapillary retinal splitting in 1.1% of a series of 990 glaucoma and glaucoma-suspect eyes. Evidence of adherent vitreous with traction and peripapillary atrophy was found in a majority of the involved eyes. A comparison to an age and axial length matched cohort is required to determine if this is a condition that is associated with glaucoma.