Peripapillary retinal splitting visualized on OCT in glaucoma and glaucoma suspect patients

PURPOSE To identify the risk factors for development of peripapillary retinal splitting (schisis) in patients with glaucoma or suspicion of glaucoma. SETTING Glaucoma Clinic, Department of Ophthalmology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL. METHODS In this institutional cross-sectional study, 495 patients (990 eyes) who had undergone spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT Spectralis HRA-OCT, Heidelberg Engineering) optic nerve head (ONH) imaging and did not have identifiable optic nerve pits, pseudopits or coloboma were included. OCT scans were reviewed by two observers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Presence of peripapillary retinal splitting identified on OCT raster scans. RESULTS Eleven of 990 glaucoma and glaucoma suspect eyes (1.1%) of 7 patients (2 females, 5 males, mean age 64.5 ± 9.2 years) had peripapillary retinal splitting. Two of these 11 eyes had extension of the splitting into the macula but none to the fovea. Of these 11 patients, 2 (28.6%) were glaucoma suspects, 3 (42.9%) had primary open-angle glaucoma, 1 (14.3%) had chronic angle-closure glaucoma and 1 (14.3%) had pigmentary glaucoma. 7/11 (63.6%) eyes had vitreous traction to the disc visualized on OCT and 6/11 eyes (54.5%) had beta-zone peripapillary atrophy. CONCLUSIONS We observed peripapillary retinal splitting in 1.1% of a series of 990 glaucoma and glaucoma-suspect eyes. Evidence of adherent vitreous with traction and peripapillary atrophy was found in a majority of the involved eyes. A comparison to an age and axial length matched cohort is required to determine if this is a condition that is associated with glaucoma.