Predictive values of lamina cribrosa depth and ganglion cell complex thickness in early diagnosis of glaucoma

Purpose: Evaluation of ganglion cell complex measurement and the use of parameters of lamina cribrosa depth in early diagnosis and progression of patients with suspected glaucoma. Materials and Methods: Measurements were taken with Heidelberg Spectralis Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography from patients in both groups. Ganglion cell complex thicknesses measured with segmentation analysis. Lamina cribrosa depths were measured by using optic nerve head images of the glaucoma suspected group and the control group. Results: Thirty-one glaucoma suspect patients and 42 healthy individuals were included in the study. The thickness of the ganglion cell layer was 11.46 mu in the glaucoma suspect group, and it was 12.19 mu in the control group. Mean lamina cribrosa depth was 579.3 mu in the glaucoma suspected group and 399.62 mu in the control group. Conclusion: Optical coherence tomography helps ophthalmologists for the diagnosis and follow-up of glaucoma patients, and non-invasively measured ganglion cell layer and lamina cribrosa depth may be a guide for early diagnosis. In this study, lamina cribrosa depth difference is more significant in the glaucoma suspect group so this parameter can be used in early diagnosis.