Comparing characteristics of the optic nerve head among subjects with suspected glaucoma in different ages of onset

Introduction/Objective Evaluation of the optic nerve head (ONH) is an inevitable procedure in the diagnosis of glaucoma. One of the most common imaging techniques for a quantitative assessment of the topography of the ONH is the Heidelberg retinal tomography II (HRT II). The aim of this study was to determine quantitative stereometric parameters of the ONH by using HRT II and to investigate any damage of neuroretinal rim in children with suspected glaucoma and compare these data with a group of adults also with suspected glaucoma. Methods This comparative study included 167 children (167 eyes) aged between five and 16 years (mean age of 11 +/- 3 years) with suspected juvenile glaucoma and 175 adult participants (175 eyes), aged 55-66 years (mean age of 60 +/- 3 years) also with suspected glaucoma. All of them were examined between January 2013 and April 2014. ONH topography and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurements were assessed using HRT II. Results Data analysis in this study showed that the average mean values for children/adults were as follows: disc area (mm(2)) 2.828 +/- 0.489 / 2.663 +/- 0.412 (p < 0.001); rim area (mm(2))1.873 +/- 0.391 / 1.667 +/- 0.275 (p < 0.001); cup/disc area ratio 0.369 +/- 0.125 / 0.369 +/- 0.101 (p = 0.530); mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (mm) 0.223 +/- 0.078 / 0.219 +/- 0.055 (p = 0.494). Statistically significant difference in damage of neuroretinal rim, between children and adults, was found in the temporal and temporal-inferior segments. Conclusion There were differences in some of the investigated quantitative parameters of the ONH between children and adults, as optic disc size, cup and rim area, and rim volume. By using Moorfields regression analysis, differences in the damage of the neuroretinal rim, when comparing children and adult optic discs, appeared only in the temporal and temporal-inferior segments, which means that optic disc cupping has spread more in the children than in the adults.