A systematic review and meta-analysis of retinal nerve fiber layer change in dementia, using optical coherence tomography.

Background: Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning, assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT), has recently been reported in various dementias.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the diagnostic utility of RNFL thickness measurement using OCT in dementia (including Alzheimer's disease [AD] and mild cognitive impairment [MCI]) compared with healthy controls (HC).

Results: Seventeen studies comparing AD with HC (702 AD eyes and 790 HC eyes) were included, demonstrating a significant reduction in mean RNFL thickness in AD (weighted mean difference [WMD] 12.44, 95% confidence interval or CI [-16.64, -8.25], P <.0001). Five studies comparing MCI and HC (214 MCI eyes and 421 HC eyes) were included demonstrating a significant reduction in mean RNFL thickness in MCI (WMD -8.23, 95% CI [-14.00, -2.45], P =.005). No relevant studies were identified for other dementias.

Conclusions: OCT measurement of RNFL thickness appears diagnostically useful in discriminating between AD, or MCI, and HC.