EVALUATION OF OPTIC NERVE CHANGES IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS USING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY

Abstract

Introduction. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the nervous system, characterized by damage to the myelin sheath of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. 60% of patients suffering from MS have visual impairments. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination helps to analyse neurodegeneration in patients with multiple sclerosis. Thinning of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) is observed in these patients, which is greater than the thinning observed in normal age-related thinning. Material and methods. During the study, 20 patients were examined. Of these 7 patients (35%) had Optic Neuritis/Multiple Sclerosis, 2 patients (10%) NMO, 1 patient (5%) Straastma Syndrome, 6 patients (30%) Ischemic Optic Neuropathy, 4 patients (20%) had partial atrophy of the optic nerve due to pituitary adenomas and empty sella. The mean age of the patients was 17-40 years. 16 patients (80%) were female; four patients (20%) were male. Initially, routine eye examinations were performed on the patients, followed by OCT examination for the evaluation of pathology. Results. In patients with Optic Neuritis (Multiple Sclerosis) and NMO, partial atrophy of the ganglion cells, changes in RNFL, and a sharp decrease in ganglion cell count were observed during repeat OCT examinations. Complete atrophy of the ganglion cells in the left eye was observed in one patient suffering from NMO. Symmetrical changes in RNFL, and a sharp decrease in ganglion cell count were observed. Conclusion. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive examination method that plays an important role in the evaluation of neuro-ophthalmological diseases. This examination method helps us to characterize the optic nerve, peripapillary area, as well as to evaluate the quality and quantitative aspects of optic nerve diseases. For this reason, we prefer OCT examination in many neuro- ophthalmological diseases, especially in demyelinating, ischemic, inflammatory diseases, and neuropathies.