title: Macular thickness as a predictor of loss of visual sensitivity in ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy.
abstract: Ethambutol is a common cause of drug-related optic neuropathy. Prediction of the onset of ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy and consequent drug withdrawal may be an effective method to stop visual loss. Previous studies have shown that structural injury to the optic nerve occurred earlier than the damage to visual function. Therefore, we decided to detect structural biomarkers marking visual field loss in early stage ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy. The thickness of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, macular thickness and visual sensitivity loss would be observed in 11 ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy patients (22 eyes) using optical coherence tomography. Twenty-four healthy age- and sex-matched participants (48 eyes) were used as controls. Results demonstrated that the temporal peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and average macular thickness were thinner in patients with ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy compared with healthy controls. The average macular thickness was strongly positively correlated with central visual sensitivity loss (r (2) =0.878, P=0.000). These findings suggest that optical coherence tomography can be used to efficiently screen patients. Macular thickness loss could be a potential factor for predicting the onset of ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Xia
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ai-di
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Bing-Jian
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Qiu-Hong
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Mo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shi-Hui
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8238-8923
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wei
keywords: ethambutol; ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy1; macular thickness; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; optical coherence tomography; peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer; visual sensitivity