A study of optic nerve head drusen in 38 pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) patients (64 eyes). Location of optic nerve head drusen in PXE

Summary Purpose To investigate the prevalence and location of optic nervehead drusenand their potential association with other PXE-related ophthalmic abnormalities. Materials and methods Thirty-eight of the 155 patients (57 male and 98 female aged 49 ± 17 years) included in this retrospective study had optic nervehead drusen. All of the patients underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination, including color images using red-free, blue and red filters, autofluorescenceimaging and late-phase ICG frames. Comparative analysis of both groups ( optic nervehead drusenor not) was conducted using R statistical software. Results The prevalence of optic nervehead drusenin our cohort was 24.5%. In this study, no evidence of a significant link between optic nervehead drusenand other fundus abnormalities was detected. They were more commonly located in the nasal sector than in the temporal sector of the optic disc( P P P P Discussion We hypothesized this predominantly nasal primary location may result from greater sensitivity in the nasal optic nervefibers which follow a much more angular path once they arrive in the scleral canal, accounting for accumulation of axoplasmicdebris. Conclusion In PXE, optic nervehead drusenare mostly located in the superonasal quadrant, causing progressive optic nerveinvasion but probably no central visual field defects.