The lamina cribrosa (LC) is a mesh-like structure within the optic nerve head region of the eye. LC morphology and progression of glaucoma are believed to be closely related. In this study, we have developed a software application that allows us to delineate and create a 3-D reconstruction of the entire anterior LC, and then characterize its morphology using established parameters such as depth as well as a novel global shape index (LC-GSI) to quantitatively measure overall anterior LC morphology.

LC-GSI is a single index that quantifies overall LC shape in an intuitive way. We’ve found that the ocular determinants of LC-GSI in healthy eyes included risk factors for glaucoma, highlighting the potential role of LC morphological characterization in the diagnosis and monitoring of glaucoma.