# Migraine eye: correlation between migraine and the retina

## TL;DR

This study found retinal differences in migraine patients compared to healthy individuals, suggesting a possible link between migraines and retinal damage.

## Contribution

This is the first study to report thinning of the ganglion cell layer and macular retinal nerve fiber layer in migraine patients.

## Key findings

- Migraine patients had thicker superior-outer inner nuclear layer (INL) compared to controls.
- GCL and mRNFL thickness was reduced in the headache-side eyes of migraine patients.
- INL thickness showed a negative correlation with migraine disability scores.

## Abstract

Activation of the trigeminal vascular system in migraine releases vasoactive neurotransmitters, causing abnormal vasoconstriction, which may affect the ocular system, leading to retinal damage. The purpose of our study was to determine whether there are differences in each retinal layer between migraine patients and healthy subjects.

A case-control study recruited 38 migraine patients and 38 age- and sex-matched controls. Optical coherence tomography was used to measure the thickness of the peripapillary and macular retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL and mRNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), and inner nuclear layer (INL).

The mean ages of the migraine patients and controls were 36.29 ± 9.45 and 36.45 ± 9.27 years, respectively. Thirty-four patients (89.48%) in both groups were female. The mean disability score was 19.63 ± 20.44 (indicating severe disability). The superior-outer INL of migraine patients were thicker than controls. Thickness of the GCL at temporal-outer sector and mRNFL at the superior-outer sector of the headache-side eyes was reduced. However, the INL of the headache-side-eye showed negative correlation with the disability score. This is the first study having found thinning of the GCL and mRNFL of the headache-side eyes. The INL was also thickened in migraines but showed negative correlation with the disability score.

Increased INL thickness in migraine patients may result from inflammation. The more severe cases with a high disability score might suffered progressive retinal neuronal loss, resulting in thinner INL than less severe cases.