Macular Segmentation and Reflectivity Analysis in Eyes with Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the thickness of central macular layers and macular reflectivity in eyes with early-stage AMD. Methods Thirty-eight eyes of 38 patients with early-stage AMD and 36 eyes of 36 healthy volunteers were included in this cross-sectional study. Segmentation of macular layers, retinal reflectivity analysis, measurements of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness and retinal vessel caliper were performed via the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer plexiform layer (OPL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), photoreceptor layer (PRL) and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) were the macular layers measured for thickness. The INL, ONL and RPE were examined for retinal reflectivity. Results The mean thickness measurements of the central macular RNFL, GCL, IPL, INL, OPL, ONL, and PRL were similar in early-stage AMD and control groups (p > 0.05). The RPE was thicker in the AMD group compared to the control group (p = 0.04). Retinal reflectivity of INL, ONL and RPE were similar in both groups (p > 0.05). The mean pRNFL thickness in the AMD and control groups were 101.3 ± 11.2 µm and 100.1 ± 9.2 µm, respectively (p = 0.76). The mean retinal arteriolar (RAC) and venular (RVC) caliper measurements were also similar in both groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions RPE was slightly thicker in the eyes with early-stage AMD compared to the healthy eyes, while retinal reflectivity, RAC, RVC, thickness of neurosensory retinal layers and pRNFL measurements were similar.