To investigate of the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in pediatric patients who have unilateral amblyopia that was caused by anisometropia or strabismus via the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT). Enrolled in this study were 111 eyes of 111 pediatric patients. The patients were separated into 3 groups, comprising the strabismic amblyopia group, which consisted of 35 eyes of pediatric patients who had strabismic amblyopia; anisometric amblyopia group, which consisted of 36 eyes of pediatric patients who had anisometric amblyopia; and the control group, which consisted of 40 eyes belonging to age- and gender-matched healthy pediatric individuals. The thickness of the RNFL was measured in the inferior, superior, nasal, and temporal quadrants via the use of OCT. The groups were similar regarding the age and the gender (P > 0.05) of the participants. No statistically significant differences were observed between the anisometropic amblyopia and control groups (P > 0.05). The inferior RNFL was thinner in strabismic amblyopia group compared to the control group participants (P = 0.013). The thickness of the RNFL of superior, nasal, and temporal quadrant did not differ statistically significantly. The thickness of the RNFL was similar in the anisometric amblyopia, strabismic amblyopia, and control groups. In the amblyopic patients, it is believed that there may be some damage caused to the higher visual pathways, such as the lateral geniculate nucleus and visual cortex, rather than structural damage to the retina.
Key words: Amblyopia, anisometropia, optical coherence tomography, retinal nerve fiber layer, strabismus
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