Material and Methods: Eighty four MS patients referred from the neurology department and 20 age and sex matched healthy control subjects were included in this study. The degree of disability of MS patients were assessed using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores. The medical records including history of optic neuritis, and the duration of disease were obtained from the neurology department. GCC measurements were performed with RTVue-100 FD- Optical coherence tomography (OCT) system (Optovue). The correlations between parameters were evaluated.

Results: The mean age of the patient group was 38.7±10.41 and the mean age of the control group was 38.3±12.4 years (p>0.05). The mean duration of disease was 8.25±6.42 years in the MS group. Mean GCC of MS patients were thinner than those of the controls (p=0.001). There was no statistically significant correlation of mean GCC thickness with the age of the MS patients (p=0.289). Fifty two eyes of 168 eyes (30.95%) had a history of optic neuritis in 42 of 84 patients (50%) in the MS group. In 32 patients with a history of unilateral optic neuritis, mean GCC thickness of unaffected eyes was 94.68±9.67 and mean GCC thickness of affected eyes was 89.24±13.14; however, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.372). The GCC scores of the MS patients were negatively correlated with EDSS scores of the patients (r=-0.322 p=0.003) and the duration of the disease (r=-0.314 p=0.004).

Conclusion: GCC thinning occurs in MS patients and GCC thickness is negatively correlated with EDSS score, and duration of the disease. OCT measurements of GCC may be helpful in evaluating MS patients. The best OCT scan protocol to evaluate MS patient and MS disease processes must be further investigated. Keywords : Optical coherence tomography, multiple sclerosis, ganglion cell complex