Morphometric analysis of peripapillary thickness in hypertensives and normotensives using optical coherence tomography (OCT)

Introduction: Hypotension following antihypertensive treatment is associated with retinal nerve fibre loss. There are studies that have reported the changes in RNFL in hypertensives. Aim: To compare the Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer (RNFL) thickness using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) in hypertensive and normotensive individuals. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2012 to September 2014 to compare the RNFL thickness using SD OCT in hypertensive {no other ocular or systemic co-morbidity, vision better or equal to 6/9 (n=30)} and normotensive (n=30) individuals. Results: Statistically significant RNFL loss was detected in hypertensives (98.31 ± 7.01) when compared to the normotensives (102.51 ± 8.72) p=0.001. Conclusion: Significant loss of RNFL in hypertensives point towards the altered autoregulation and warrants larger studies to assess the clinical relevance.