We used optical coherence tomography (OCT) for longitudinal evaluation of structural changes in the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), the macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL), and the macula in patients with traumatic optic neuropathy.

From May 2012 to April 2015, the medical records of 20 patients with monocular traumatic optic neuropathy who were followed up for over 6 months were retrospectively analyzed. Best-corrected visual acuity was checked and Cirrus high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) was used to measure the thicknesses of the peripapillary RNFL, macular GC-IPL, and macula of both eyes at the first visit (within 4 weeks after trauma), at 10 and 24 weeks after trauma, and at the final visits. The differences over time in the parameters of the traumatic and fellow eyes were analyzed.

The final best-corrected visual acuities of the traumatic and fellow eyes differed significantly from those at the first visit ( p = 0.007). The average thicknesses of the peripapillary RNFL, the macular GC-IPL, and the macula differed significantly between the traumatic and fellow eyes commencing 10 weeks after trauma ( p < 0.001, p = 0.002, p = 0.003, respectively).

Significant changes in visual acuity preceded structural changes in the retina. Objective assessment of retinal structural changes using OCT yields helpful information on the clinical course of patients with traumatic optic neuropathy.