Are the optic nerve head parameters and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness affected in patients who had a mild Covid- 19 infection?

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and optic nerve head (ONH) parameters by using a spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) device in patients who had a history of a mild-COVID-19 infection. Material and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 70 patients who had a history of a mild COVID-19 infection and 65 healthy individuals. After detailed ophthalmological examination, the peripapillary RNFL thickness and ONH parameters were measured with the SD-OCT device in all patients. Results: No significant difference was present between the groups in terms of age and gender (p=0.907, p=0.979, respectively). The mean, superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal peripapillary RNFL thicknesses were not statistically significantly different between the groups (p=0.797, p=0.488, p=0.079, p=0.820, p=0.820, respectively). Regarding the ONH parameters, no significant difference was found between the groups in terms of disc area, cup area, rim area, cup/ disc ratio, horizontal and vertical cup/disc ratio and cup and rim volume (p=0.239, p=0.995, p=0.522, p=0.959, p=0.716, p= 0.873, p=0.476, p=0.701, respectively). Coclusion: No significant difference was found between the patients who had a mild COVID-19 infection and the control group in terms of the peripapillary RNFL thickness and ONH parameters. However, the results may vary according to the severity of the infection and the acute and long-term data.