Measuring the Inner Retinal Layer in Multiple Sclerosis

Optic nerve involvement in multiple sclerosis (MS) is common, and noninvasive measures of axonal degeneration are needed. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can quantify both the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and the ganglion cell and inner plexiform (GCIP) layer of the macula.

Participants were 164 patients with MS who had at least 6 months of follow-up after baseline OCT measurements and 59 healthy controls. Mean follow-up was 21.1 months. Baseline RNFL and GCIP thinning were greatest in secondary progressive MS, followed by relapsing–remitting MS, clinically isolated syndrome, and primary progressive MS. During follow-up, GCIP thinning occurred 46% faster in patients than in controls. Rates of GCIP thinning were…