The prevalence of macular cysts in patients with clinical cone-rod dystrophy determined by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.

Background: To determine the prevalence of macular cysts in patients with clinical cone-rod dystrophy (CORD) using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). If macular cysts could be demonstrated in such patients, they might benefit from treatment with a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor that has been shown to be effective for treating macular cysts in various night-blinding disorders.

Material And Methods: Thirty-six CORD patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination and an SD-OCT examination using two different systems. The presence of hypo-reflective lacunae was used to determine the presence of macular cysts.

Results: The patients' mean age was 42.9 ± 19.5 years (range 6-71 years). Mean BCVA was 1.09 ± 0.64 logMAR (range no light perception to 20/25 + 2 in the better-seeing eye). All the 72 eyes studied showed a variable degree of retinal thinning, disruption of what has been referred to as the inner segment ellipsoid and outer nuclear layer (ONL) thinning of the macula. None showed evidence of macular cysts on OCT testing.

Conclusions: Although macular cysts are a common feature of various hereditary night-blinding retinal dystrophies, these were not identified in our cohort of CORD patients.