Background: There are many reports regarding the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) in optic neuritis (ON). However, few studies of changes over time in the ganglion cell complex (GCC) have been reported. As far as we know, no studies of such changes in children have been reported. In the present study, we report two patients with pediatric ON in which the time course of GCC and cpRNFL were observed using optical coherence tomography.
Cases: Two cases, one 9-year-old boy and one 11-year-old boy. The two patients showed acute visual impairment, relative afferent pupillary defect, and swelling of the optic disc, leading to the diagnosis of ON. Regardless of whether visual function was improved after steroid pulse therapy, thinning of the GCC and cpRNFL progressed rapidly over time.
Conclusion: Atrophy of the retinal inner layer in the macula occurred soon after the onset of ON. Although the inflammation was reduced after treatment, atrophy of the ganglion cells continuted to progress. GCC thickness measurement in pediatric ON is useful for pathological assessment and follow-up, because we can detect atrophy of the ganglion cells and retinal nerve fibers soon after onset.
Nippon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi (J Jpn Ophthalmol Soc) 117: 1004-1011, 2013.