Correlations between peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and macular thickness in different various stages of primary open-angle glaucoma

Summary Purpose To determine the relationship between macular thickness and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFLp) thickness in different stages of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods Ninety prospectively selected patients with different stage POAG underwent spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) to determine macular and RNFLp thicknesses in different regions and sectors respectively. Correlations were then established through Pearson's correlation coefficient between RNFLp and macular thicknesses in the different disease stages. Results Greatest correlation was observed between the inferior RNFLp sector and the internal inferior macula both in the whole patient population and in the subset of patients with incipient glaucoma. Conclusions When the optic nerve disc is affected by another condition, macular thickness determination may help detect POAG and monitor its progression.