Evaluation of retinal fiber thickness and visual pathways with optic coherence tomography and pattern visual evoked potential in different clinical stages of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Purpose To investigate the possible changes in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) by optic coherence tomography and in the amplitudes and peak times (PTs) in pattern visual evoked potential (pVEP) and to compare them in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Methods This prospective study included patients with mild OSAS ( n = 30), severe OSAS ( n = 30), and 30 control subjects. All patients were assessed after obtaining the approval from our hospital’s ethics committee. Results There was no difference in age and gender between the groups ( p = 0.184, p = 0.954). By analysis of variance, there was a significant difference in RNFL values among patients with mild OSAS, severe OSAS, and control for three measures of RNFL (average p = 0.044, nasal p = 0.003, inferior p = 0.027). In severe OSAS group, nasal and inferior quadrants of the RNFL were found to be thinner than the control group ( p = 0.008, p = 0.031). We showed that the PT of P100 and N145 was prolonged in severe OSAS compared to the control group ( p