Evaluation of the optic nerve head using confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in patients with multiple sclerosis

Purpose : To study optic nerve head parameters of patients with definite multiple sclerosis (MS) using confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. Methods : Twenty-one consecutive patients with definite MS were evaluated with Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II (version 1.5) between January and June 2003. Optic nerve head stereometric parameters of eyes without prior optic neuropathy (ON) were compared to an age- and sex-matched control group (n = 23). Eyes with prior ON were compared to their fellow eyes. A correlation between visual evoked potentials (VEP) and stereometric parameters was sought. Results : The average age of the 21 patients (11 females, 10 males) was 34.9 9 years. Eight eyes of eight patients (38%) had prior ON. Rim volume ( p = 0.04), average retinal nerve fiber layer thickness ( p = 0.002), and nerve fiber layer surface area ( p = 0.000) values of 21 eyes of 21 MS patients without prior ON were lower than those of the control group. No statistically significant difference was noted between eyes with prior ON and their fellow eyes regarding optic nerve head parameters. No correlation was found between stereometric parameters and VEP results. Conclusions : MS patients without prior ON show a deviation from normal with regard to some of the optic nerve head stereometric parameters.