PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Yingdi Chen
AU  - Juan Larraz
AU  - Michael Wong
AU  - Patrick Kearns
AU  - Fraser Brown
AU  - Sarah-Jane Martin
AU  - Peter Connick
AU  - Niall MacDougall
AU  - Christine Weaver
AU  - Baljean Dhillon
AU  - Siddharthan Chandran
TI  - Longitudinal retinal imaging study of newly diagnosed relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in Scottish population: baseline and 12 months follow-up profile of FutureMS retinal imaging cohort
AID  - 10.1136/bmjophth-2022-001024
DP  - 2022 Jul 01
TA  - BMJ Open Ophthalmology
PG  - e001024
VI  - 7
IP  - 1
4099  - http://bmjophth.bmj.com/content/7/1/e001024.short
4100  - http://bmjophth.bmj.com/content/7/1/e001024.full
SO  - BMJ Open Ophth2022 Jul 01; 7
AB  - Objective Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory degenerative condition of central nervous system. The disease course and presentation of MS is highly heterogeneous. Advanced retinal imaging techniques such as optic coherence tomography (OCT) can capture abnormalities of anterior visual pathway with high resolution, which may contribute greater insights into the pathophysiology of MS.Methods People with newly diagnosed relapsing-remitting MS were recruited for FutureMS retinal imaging study from two study centres in Scotland. The baseline visit was completed within 6 months of diagnosis with initial follow-up 12 months after the baseline visit. The assessments included in FutureMS retinal imaging study were visual acuity test, self-reported eye questionnaire and OCT scan.Results A total of 196 FutureMS participants completed the retinal imaging study of FutureMS with 185 participants at M0 and 155 at M12. A total of 144 participants completed both M0 and M12 visits. At the whole cohort level, the distribution of retinal measures is generally consistent between baseline and follow-up.Conclusion The FutureMS retinal imaging study aims to demonstrate that patient with MS present with different extent of retinal abnormalities that can be captured by retinal imaging modalities such as OCT soon after diagnosis. These changes may sensitively mirror the brain atrophy or serve as predictors for disease activity. By developing sensitive, quantifiable and objective retinal biomarkers, FutureMS retinal imaging study will provide an opportunity to stratify patient with MS at an early stage and support future therapeutic strategies for a better outcome.Data are available on reasonable request. Participants of FutureMS can consent to their deidentified data being shared with any academic or commercial organisations that apply for and receive approval from the independent oversight committee. The FutureMS study welcomes and offers global collaboration. The data are not freely available in the public domain, but proposals and ideas for future collaborations are very welcomed. For more information, the study team (email address: future-ms @ed.ac.uk) with details of the proposed collaboration.