EVALUATION OF MACULAR GANGLION CELL COMPLEX USING SPECTRAL DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY IN GLAUCOMA SUSPECT PATIENTS AND TO CORRELATE IT WITH NORMAL POPULATION

PURPOSE:. To evaluate macular ganglion cell complex in glaucoma suspect patients and normal population RESULTS The difference between values of neuroretinal rim thickness,rim area,disc area,average CDR,vertical CDR and cup volume among glaucoma suspect and normal (controls) was found to be statistically significant (p value<0.001). The difference between values of superior,nasal,inferior,temporal and average RNFL thickness among glaucoma suspect and normal (controls) was found to be statistically significant(p value<0.001). The difference between values of superotemporal, superior, superonasal, inferonasal, inferior, inferotemporal, average and minimum GCIPL (Ganglion cell Inner plexiform layer) thickness in µm, as estimated on OCT macula, was found to be statistically significant among glaucoma suspect patients and normal (controls) (p value <0.001). Upon applying Spearman's rho correlation coefficient test in glaucoma suspect patients for GCIPL thickness and RNFL thickness, statistically significant correlation was found between Inferior RNFL thickness with Inferotemporal GCIPL thickness(p value 0.029) and Temporal RNFL thickness with Inferotemporal GCIPL thickness .(p values 0.006). Upon applying Spearman's rho correlation coefficient test in normal (controls) for GCIPL thickness and RNFL thickness,statistically significant correlation was found between Superior RNFL thickness with Superior GCIPL thickness(p value 0.038), Superior RNFL thickness with Superonasal GCIPL thickness (p values 0.012 ), and Average RNFL thickness with Average GCIPL thickness (p value 0.033) CONCLUSION: In our study we found there is statistically significant reduction in thickness in all measured quadrants of Macular GCIPL and RNFL in glaucoma suspect patients compared to normal. Also, a statistically significant correlation was found between Inferior RNFL thickness with Inferotemporal GCIPL thickness and Temporal RNFL thickness with Inferotemporal GCIPL thickness in glaucoma suspect patients,suggesting good diagnostic ability of inferotemporal macular GCIPL thickness.