title: Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Corresponds to Drusen Location and Extent of Visual Field Defects in Superficial and Buried Optic Disc Drusen.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Optic disc drusen (ODD) are hyaline deposits located within the optic nerve head. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning is associated with the high prevalence of visual field defects seen in ODD patients. The goal of this study was to investigate the characteristics of patients with ODD and to compare the peripapillary RNFL thickness to the extent of visual field defects and anatomic location (superficial or buried) of ODD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, cross sectional study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 149 eyes of 84 ODD patients were evaluated. Sixty-five percent were female and 76% had bilateral ODD. Of 149 eyes, 109 had superficial ODD and 40 had buried ODD. Peripapillary RNFL thinning was seen in 83.6% of eyes, where optical coherence tomography was performed (n = 61). Eyes with superficial ODD had greater mean peripapillary RNFL thinning (P ≤ 0.0001) and visual field defects (P = 0.002) than eyes with buried ODD. There was a correlation between mean peripapillary RNFL thinning and visual field defects as measured by perimetric mean deviation (R-0.66; P = 0.0001). The most frequent visual field abnormalities were arcuate and partial arcuate defects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Peripapillary RNFL thickness correlates with anatomic location (superficial or buried) of ODD. Frequency and extent of visual field defects corresponded with anatomic location of ODD and peripapillary RNFL thickness, suggesting increased axonal damage in patients with superficial ODD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Glostrup Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lasse
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Malmqvist
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wegener
authors.forename: Birgit A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Sander
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015785:Eye Diseases, Hereditary / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000473:pathology*; D015594:Optic Disk Drusen / Q000473:pathology*; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012607:Scotoma / Q000473:pathology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014794:Visual Fields