Reduced Cone Density Is Associated with Multiple Sclerosis

• Published in: Ophthalmology science (Online) 2023-09, Vol.3 (3), p.100308-100308, Article 100308
• Main Authors: McIlwaine, Gemma, Csincsik, Lajos, Coey, Rachel, Wang, Luping, Fitzgerald, Denise, Moffat, Jill, Dubis, Adam M., McDonnell, Gavin, Hughes, Stella, Peto, Tunde, Lengyel, Imre
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptive optics ophthalmoscope; Cone; Multiple sclerosis; OCT; Original; Retina
• ISSN: 2666-9145; 2666-9145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.xops.2023.100308

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. Recent evidence suggests that degeneration of the inner layers of the retina occurs in MS. This study aimed to examine whether there are outer retinal changes in patients living with MS. This was a single center, cross-sectional study. Sixteen patients with MS and 25 controls (volunteers without diagnosed MS) were recruited for the study. We acquired volumetric spectral domain-OCT scans of the macula and a circular scan around the optic nerve head (ONH). We also captured adaptive optics (AO) images at 0° (centered on the foveola), 2°, 4°, and 6° temporal to the fovea. We calculated the thickness of the different retinal layers in the macula and around the ONH using the inbuilt software of the OCT. We evaluated changes in cone photoreceptors by calculating cone density and spacing by the inbuilt AO automatic segmentation algorithm with manual correction. We compared patients with and without optic neuritis and controls. We found significant thinning of the inner retina and a thickening of the outer retina in the eye with a history of optic neuritis (eyes of patients with MS with a history of optic neuritis; mean difference [MD]: −11.13 ± 3.61 μm, P = 0.002 and MD: 2.86 ± 0.89 μm, P = 0.001; respectively). We did not observe changes in retinal layers without optic neuritis in eyes of patients with MS without a history of optic neuritis. However, regional differences were detected in the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer. Analyzing AO images revealed a significantly lower cone outer-segment density at all eccentricities in all patients compared with control eyes (P