Peripapillary nerve fiber layer thickness profile determined with high speed, ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography high-density scanning.

PURPOSE: To determine the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness profile in the peripapillary region of healthy eyes.
METHODS: Three-dimensional, Fourier/spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) data were obtained as raster scan data (512 x 180 axial scans in a 6 x 6-mm region centered on the optic nerve head [ONH]) with high-speed, ultrahigh-resolution OCT (hsUHR-OCT) from 12 healthy subjects. RNFL thickness was measured on this three-dimensional data set with an in-house software program. The disc margin was defined subjectively in each image and RNFL thickness profiles relative to distance from the disc center were computed for quadrants and clock hours. A mixed-effects model was used to characterize the slope of the profiles.
RESULTS: Thickness profiles in the superior, inferior, and temporal quadrants showed an initial increase in RNFL thickness, an area of peak thickness, and a linear decrease as radial distance from the disc center increased. The nasal quadrant showed a constant linear decay without the initial RNFL thickening. A mixed-effects model showed that the slopes of the inferior, superior, and nasal quadrants differed significantly from the temporal slope (P = 0.0012, P = 0.0003, and P = 0.0004, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: RNFL thickness is generally inversely related to the distance from the ONH center in the peripapillary region of healthy subjects, as determined by hsUHR-OCT. However, several areas showed an initial increase in RNFL, followed by a peak and a gradual decrease.