The GCL test is the study of the retinal ganglion cell layer. It is very important in the diagnosis of glaucoma, because in the course of this disease, the ganglion cells disappear. The layer of the ganglion cells of the retina plays a very important role in the process of vision. Thanks to these cells, visual impulses run through the nerve fibers to the cerebral cortex, where the image formation process takes place. What is the assessment of the retinal ganglion cell layer?
The GCL studyis the study of thelayer of the retinal ganglion cells . The layer of the ganglion cells of the retina plays a very important role in the process of vision. Thanks to these cells, visual impulses run through the nerve fibers to the cerebral cortex, where the image formation process takes place. Ganglion cells are found throughout the retina, but most of them are located in the central part of the retina called the macula. In this area, the ganglion cells are arranged in several layers and therefore their disappearance in this place is relatively easy to detect using modern diagnostic methods. The two main types of ganglion cells responsible for normal vision are the small P ganglion cells and the giant M ganglion cells. Small ganglion cells account for 80% of all ganglion cells and are responsible for color, shape, central and stereoscopic vision. M-ganglion cells account for 5-10% of all ganglion cells responsible for the recognition of movement and contrast
GCL (retinal ganglion cells) test - indications for the test
GCL (retinal ganglion cells) examination is essential in the diagnosis of glaucoma. In the course of glaucoma, the ganglion cells disappear, therefore their evaluation is very important in the diagnosis of this disease. M-ganglion cells are the first to disappear in glaucoma.
Increased intraocular pressure and ischemia are the main causes of ganglion cell death. These two factors are the cause of the atrophy of the ganglion cells in glaucoma with high intraocular pressure or in pathologies of the optic nerve associated with a blood supply disorder such as in the course of diabetes.
GCL (retinal ganglion cells) test - what is it?
The anatomical thickness of the ganglion cell layer in the retina can be assessed by measuring itthickness by OCT optical coherence tomography. There are about a million ganglion cells in the retina, it is impossible to count them without the use of a CT scanner.
GCL / GCC examination is very important in glaucoma diagnosis.
In the GCL (Ganglion Cell Layer) test, sometimes also called GCC, the tomograph determines the thickness of the GCL layer and the inner layer of the IPL. The color thickness maps indicate the measurements of both layers (GCL + IPL), and the standard deviation map expresses the comparison of the thickness of the patient's retinal ganglion cell layer thickness measured in six sectors with the normative database, i.e. with data obtained from he althy subjects.
GCL / GCC is a very important additional test, necessary in the diagnosis of glaucoma. It should always be performed in the assessment of optic nerve damage when glaucoma is suspected as a complementary test to HRT and GDx examinations of the optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer. Based on my experience, I can also state the great prognostic value of the GCL / GCC study. It often shows changes not noticed in other diagnostic tests.
About the authorBarbara Polaczek-Krupa, MD, PhD, specialist in eye diseases, Centrum Opulystowa Targowa 2, WarsawDr. Barbara Polaczek-Krupa, MD, initiator and founder of the T2 Center. She specializes in modern diagnostics and treatment of glaucoma - this was also the subject of her PhD thesis defended with honors in 2010.
Dr. med. Polaczek-Krupa has been gaining experience for 22 years, since she started working at the Ophthalmology Clinic of CMKP in Warsaw, with which she was associated in 1994-2014. During this period, she obtained two degrees of specialization in ophthalmology and the title of doctor of medical sciences.
In the years 2002-2016 she worked at the Institute of Glaucoma and Eye Diseases in Warsaw, where she gained knowledge and medical experience by consulting patients from all over Poland and abroad.
For years, as part of cooperation with the Medical Center of Postgraduate Education, he has been a lecturer at courses and trainings for doctors specializing in ophthalmology and primary he alth care.
He is the author or co-author of numerous publications in scientific journals. Member of the Polish Ophthalmology Society (PTO) and the European Glaucoma Society (EGS).