title: Long term follow-up of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in eyes with optic nerve head drusen.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of optic nerve head drusen (ONHD) on the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness during follow-up period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three non-glaucomatous eyes having clinically visible ONHD confirmed by colored disc photos were studied. RNFL thickness was determined with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Eyes were re-examined after average of 18 months (ranging between 14 and 22 months). Mean RNFL thickness of each quadrant was compared with previous results at each follow-up visit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean RNFL thickness was 88.43 +/- 10.2 micron at first visit and 90.35 +/- 6.9 micron at follow-up in eyes with clinically visible ONHD. The difference between the mean RNFL thickness measured from inferior, superior, nasal and temporal quadrant at first and follow-up visits was not significant (paired t-test, p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of drusen was found to have no effect on RNFL thickness at follow-up visits. OCT may provide a useful means to evaluate and follow up the RNFL thickness in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Medical School of Cerrahpasa, Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. ocakoglu@superonline.com
authors.forename: Ozcan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ocakoglu
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ustundag
authors.forename: Nilufer
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koyluoglu
authors.forename: Velittin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Oguz
authors.forename: Gurhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kendiroglu
authors.forename: Sehirbay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozkan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D015594:Optic Disk Drusen / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014054:Tomography; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014794:Visual Fields