Relationship between retinal nerve fiber layer and visual field function in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients without retinitis

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the spatial association between visual field (VF) sensitivity loss and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning in patients infected by the human immunodeficiency virus.

Methods: Fifty-one eyes of 51 human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients and 22 eyes of 22 control subjects were enrolled. Patients were evaluated using the Fast RNFL scan strategy on Stratus OCT and the 24-2 full-threshold program on the Humphrey Matrix frequency doubling technology (FDT) perimeter. Associations between RNFL thickness and VF sensitivity were evaluated globally, in 12 clock-hour optical coherence tomography sectors and in 21 VF zones; linear and quadratic regression models were used in the statistical analysis.

Results: The linear and quadratic regression associations between the FDT Matrix pattern standard deviation and the average RNFL thickness in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients were r2 = 0.185 and r2 = 0.218 (P < 0.05), respectively. The correlation between the FDT Matrix mean deviation and the average RNFL thickness was not significant (P > 0.05). Stronger associations were found when regional RNFL thinning was compared with locally measured FDT Matrix pattern deviation, especially between nasal RNFL measurements and temporal VF zones, and between superior RNFL measurements and inferior VF zones.

Conclusion: Retinal nerve fiber layer thinning was related to VF sensitivity loss in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients and regional associations between optical coherence tomography and FDT Matrix sectors were stronger than the associations between global measurements.