A thicker sclera was found by Swept-Source Optical Coherence tomography (SS-OCT) in SLE patients even without scleritis. A new study assessing scleral thickness (Nasal/Temporal scleral thickness 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 6mm from the scleral spur; as shown) between SLE patients without clinically evident scleritis and episcleritis and healthy control was recently published in "Frontiers in Immunology" by using a 400KHz SS-OCT BMizar from TowardPi Medical.

SLE eyes showed significantly thicker scleral at multiple sites than the control eyes which might be subclinical changes caused by collagen fiber swelling or deposition of immune complexes. Scleral thickness was thicker in SLE eyes with a disease duration of less than 5 years compared with SLE eyes with a disease duration of more than 5 years. Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling including reformation of collagen structure and regulation of scleral composition might contribute to disease progression. Besides, the Temporal scleral was thinner in patients with a higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Thanks to the good penetration of full-range SS-OCT technology, "it can detect asymptomatic structural changes in SLE patients and may be a useful tool in the evaluation of early scleral abnormality".

The study was authored by Dr. Lulu Chen and others, among the team of Prof. Youin Chen, from Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Link to full text: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1278893/full