Asymmetries of the retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in normal eyes.

AIMS To investigate the variation in the retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in detail in normal eyes with a scanning laser polarimeter. METHODS The retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) was measured in 94 normal volunteers with a scanning laser polarimeter. The mean RNFLT around a 10 pixel-wide ellipse located concentrically with the disc of 1.5 disc diameters was calculated for 16 sectors each of 22.5 degrees. The symmetry of the RNFLT distribution with respect to the horizontal midline for individual eyes and to the vertical meridian for the two eyes was examined. RESULTS The RNFLT was thicker on the inferior side than on the superior side for the temporal four pairs of 22.5 degrees sectors, and the differences were significant in two of the four temporal pairs (p<0.007). The RNFLT was thicker in the superior than in the inferior side for the nasal four pairs of the sectors, and the differences were significant in three of the four nasal pairs (p<0.04). The mean RNFLT was significantly thicker in the right eyes than in the left eyes in the four temporal sectors (p<0.02), and significantly thicker in the left eyes than in the right eyes in the inferior two nasal sectors (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Asymmetries of the RNFLT in normal eyes with respect to the horizontal midline and to the vertical meridian for the two eyes were found. These asymmetries should be considered when retinal nerve fibre layer loss is evaluated during the course of a disease process.