Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects approximately 2.3 million patients worldwide, with a global median prevalence of 33 per 100,000. MS is diagnosed at an average of 30 years and affects twice as many women as men. MS is traditionally diagnosed by the presentation of lesions of the central nervous system, disseminated in time and in space, proven by clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging. Several anatomical parameters in the eye, both vascular and neural, have been found to be altered in MS patients. Because of its unique optical properties, the eye offers the possibility of the non-invasive assessment of both structural and functional alterations in neuronal tissue. As the neuro-retina is part of the brain, it does not come as a surprise that neuro-degenerative changes in the brain are accompanied by structural and possibly also functional changes in the neuro-retina and the ocular vasculature. The current study seeks to test the hypothesis that beside the known anatomical changes, also functional changes can be detected in the retina of patients with MS. For this purpose, flicker light induced hyperemia will be measured in the retina as a functional test to assess the coupling between neural activity and blood flow. Further, structural parameters such as retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and function parameters such as ocular blood flow and retinal oxygenation will be assessed and compared to age and sex matched controls.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
50
Retinal vessel diameters and oxygen saturation will be measured with the DVA device.
Retinal blood flow will be assessed using FDOCT.
Nerve fiber layer thickness and central retinal thickness will be measured using OCT.
Retinal microvasculature will be assessed using OCTA.
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna
Vienna, Austria, Austria
RECRUITINGFlicker induced increase in retinal blood flow
Response of retinal blood flow to flicker light assessed with FDOCT
Time frame: 1 day
Retinal vessel diameters
Response of retinal vessel diameters to flicker light assessed with DVA
Time frame: 1 day
Retinal oxygen saturation
Retinal oxygen saturation measured with DVA
Time frame: 1 day
Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness
Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measured using OCT
Time frame: 1 day
Layer specific flow signal
Retinal layer specific blood flow signal measured using OCTA
Time frame: 1 day
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