Purpose: To evaluate circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) after ocular blunt trauma.
Methods: Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), cpRNFL and GCC were evaluated by RTVue-100 OCT in all consecutive patients with previous monocular blunt trauma seen between January 2012 and December 2012.
Results: Twenty-two patients (11 females, 11 males, mean age 43.9 ± 14.2 years) were included in the study. Patients were seen after a mean of 8.42 ± 13.3 (range, 0.08-55.3) years from ocular blunt trauma. BCVA was normal in 11 cases and was less than 0.4 LogMAR in all cases. In 9/22 patients (40.9%), cpRNFL and GCC were reduced, whereas in one case an isolated reduction of GCC with normal cpRNFL was present. In patients with reduction of cpRNFL and GCC, mean BCVA was 0.17 ± 0.17 LogMAR. In 6/9 patients (66.6%) with cpRNFL and GCC reduction, BCVA was ≤ 0.1 LogMAR.
Conclusion: cpRNFL and GCC reduction may be present after ocular blunt trauma and may be associated with preserved visual acuity.