Thickness of the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer in Amblyopic and Normal Eyes

Purpose: To compare the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness of amblyopic and normal eyes. Material and Method: In this prospective study, 228 eyes of 114 patients were observed. The study included the amblyopic eyes and the fellow normal eyes of the patients. A detailed ophthalmologic examination, axial length measurement and RNFL thickness measurement with Stratus Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) were performed to all of the patients. The RNFL thickness was compared between the amblyopic and fellow sound eyes. Results: The average age of the patients was 13 years. Of amblyopic eyes, 59% had strabismus, 30% had anisometropia, and 11% had deprivation amblyopia due to ptosis. The mean RNFL thickness of the amblyopic and fellow normal eyes was 105.2 mu m +/- 11.95 mu m and 104.7 mu m +/- 10.7 mu m, respectively. Discussion: No significant difference was found between amblyopic and normal fellow eyes regarding the peripapillary RNFL thickness.