Evaluation of intraocular pressure, choroidal and retinal thickness measurements using optical coherence tomography in non-diabetic haemodialysis patients

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ocular findings in non-diabetic patients with chronic renal disease undergoing haemodialysis (HD). Methods We performed a pilot study in Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu Klinikos departments of Nephrology and Ophthalmology. In this study 7 patients (14 eyes) with chronic renal disease undergoing haemodialysis underwent an ophthalmic examination including visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), central foveal thickness (CFT) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) measurements using high-definition optical coherence tomography (OCT, Spectralis; Heidelberg Engineering) line scans with the activated enhanced depth imaging mode, (central corneal thickness (CCT) and endothelial cell density (CD). Each patient underwent examination 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after a HD session. Results 14 eyes of 7 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) undergoing HD were included. 5 males (35.5 %) and 2 females (14.3 %) participtated. Patients mean age was 72.71 ± 7.67 years. The mean VA was 0.83 ± 0.16. The mean IOP increased from 12.28 ± 1.89 to 14.14 ± 4.75 mmHg (p = 0.1). The change was statistically insignificant. The mean central foveal thickness decreased statistically insignificant from 227.07 ± 15.71 to 225.57 ± 14.10 μm (p = 0.69). The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness before HD was 207.57 ± 50.71 μm, after HD – 194.85 ± 55.39 μm (p = 0.016). There was a statistically significant decrease in the choroidal thickness before and after haemodialysis (p = 0.016). The mean CCT was 529.77 ± 32.12 μm. The mean CD 2777.11 ± 380.15 cells/mm2. Conclusions Haemodialysis with a high ultrafiltration volume did not alter the retinal thickness and IOP but caused a significant choroidal thinning in non-diabetic end-stage CRF patients.