Session: Free papers Session VIII - Graves & Neurologic disease

Evaluation Of Near Reflex in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Kadriye DEMIR BONCUKÇU¹, Burçin ÇAKıR¹, Nilgün ÖZKAN AKSOY¹

¹sakarya universitesi, sakarya, Turkey

Purpose: To evaluate the amplitude of accommodation (AA) and convergence in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Material-Method: MS patients under 35 years of age without visual evoked potential (VEP) abnormalities (MS Group) and healthy individuals of similar age (Control Group) were included in the study. Only findings from the right eye of the participants were included in the analysis. Fusional vergence amplitudes with prism, measurement of amplitude of accommodation (AA) with minus lens technique, stereopsis measurement with Titmus Stereo test (TST), near-object fixation and near point of convergence (NPC) measurement with a ruler, Convergence Insufficiency Symptoms Survey (CISS) results and presence of nystagmus were recorded retrospectively from the files of the cases. Statistical comparison was made between the groups.

Results: The mean age was 28.04±3.7 years in the MS group (20 females, 4 males) and 27.16±3.1 years in the control group (20 females, 5 males) (p=0.763). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in stereopsis (p=0.395), mean convergence amplitude (p=0.666) divergence amplitude (p=0.773) at distance; mean convergence amplitude (p=0.836) divergence amplitude (p=0.877) at near and near point of convergence measurements (p=0.908). AA was -5.31±0.7 D in the MS group and -6.1 ± 0.8 D in the control group, and the mean AA values between the two groups were statistically significant (p<0.001). CISS results were lower in the control group and there was a statistically significant difference between the groups. (p<0.001). In addition, endpoint nystagmus was statistically significantly higher in the MS group. (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Compared to the healthy control group, MS patients under 35 who did not have optic nerve attacks had lower accommodation amplitude and more signs in favor of convergence insufficiency symptoms. In addition, endpoint nystagmus was observed at a higher rate in the MS group.