Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Assessment: Area versus Thickness Measurements from Elliptical Scans Centered on the Optic Nerve

Abstract

In nonhuman primates, with appropriate transverse scaling and ONH shape analysis, the cross-sectional area of the RNFL is independent of scan distance, up to 600 μm from the rim margin, indicating that the axonal composition changes little over this range. The results suggest that, with incorporation of transverse scaling, the RNFL cross-sectional area, rather than RNFL thickness, provides an accurate assessment of the retinal ganglion cell axonal content within the eye.