Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measured by optical coherence tomography in patients with schizophrenia: A short report

Background and Objectives: Our study aims to assess retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients affected by schizophrenia. Methods: Ten schizophrenic patients (mean age 39 +/13 years, best corrected visual acuity ≥ 20/20, refractive error between +/-2 diopters, and intraocular pressure <18 mmHg) were enrolled. They were compared with 10 age-matched controls. In all subjects, optic nerve head (ONH) measurements, peripapillary RNFL thickness, macular thickness and volume were measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Results: Schizophrenic patients showed an statistically significant reduction of the overall RNFL thickness (95+/-13 μm, range: 53-110) compared with those values observed in control eyes (103+/-8 μm, range: 88-119) (p = 0.047, Mann-Whitney U test). We also observed reduced peripapillary RNFL thickness in nasal quadrant in schizophrenic patients (75+/-17 μm, range: 41-111) when compared with controls (84+/-10 μm, range: 67-105) (p = 0.048, Mann-Whitney U test). The remaining peripapillary RNFL quadrants, macular thickness and volume did not reveal differences between both groups. No statisti-