Interocular Symmetry of Foveal Cone Topography in Congenital Achromatopsia

Katie M. Litts, Michalis Georgiou, Christopher S. Langlo, Emily J. Patterson, Rebecca R. Mastey, Angelos Kalitzeos, Rachel E. Linderman, Byron L. Lam, Gerald A. Fishman, Mark E. Pennesi, Christine N. Kay, William W. Hauswirth, Michel Michaelides, Joseph Carroll

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the interocular symmetry of foveal cone topography in achromatopsia (ACHM) using non-confocal split-detection adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO). Methods: Split-detector AOSLO images of the foveal cone mosaic were acquired from both eyes of 26 subjects (mean age 24.3 years; range 8–44 years, 14 females) with genetically confirmed CNGA3- or CNGB3-associated ACHM. Cones were identified within a manually delineated rod-free zone. Peak cone density (PCD) was determined using an 80 × 80 μm sampling window within the rod-free zone. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of inter-cell distance (ICD) were calculated to derive the coefficient of variation (CV). Cone density difference maps were generated to compare cone topography between eyes. Results: PCD (mean ± SD) was 17,530 ± 9,614 cones/mm2 and 17,638 ± 9,753 cones/mm2 for right and left eyes, respectively (p = .677, Wilcoxon test). The mean (± SD) for ICD was 9.05 ± 2.55 µm and 9.24 ± 2.55 µm for right and left eyes, respectively (p = .410, paired t-test). The mean (± SD) for CV of ICD was 0.16 ± 0.03 µm and 0.16 ± 0.04 µm for right and left eyes, respectively (p = .562, paired t-test). Cone density maps demonstrated that cone topography of the ACHM fovea is non-uniform with local variations in cone density between eyes. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the interocular symmetry of the foveal cone mosaic (both density and packing) in ACHM. As cone topography can differ between eyes of a subject, PCD does not completely describe the foveal cone mosaic in ACHM. Nonetheless, these findings are of value in longitudinal monitoring of patients during treatment trials and further suggest that both eyes of a given subject may have similar therapeutic potential and non-study eye can be used as a control.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1257-1264
Number of pages8
JournalCurrent Eye Research
Volume45
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2 2020

Keywords

  • Achromatopsia
  • cone photoreceptors
  • fovea
  • interocular symmetry
  • retinal imaging

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ophthalmology
  • Sensory Systems
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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