Due to copyright reasons, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. In order for the faculty to have time to process the order, it must be received by the faculty no later than 2 days prior to the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. Inquiries regarding the thesis after the public defence must be addressed to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Surgeon Charlotta Zetterström, SöderÖgon, Sweden
- Second opponent: Associate Professor Cecilie Bredrup, University of Bergen
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Olav Røise, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Associate Professor Rune Enger, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Lecturer Olav Kristianslund, University of Oslo
Summary
Patients with the connective tissue disorder Marfan syndrome (MFS) often have several ocular symptoms and signs.
The aims of the thesis were to study possible changes in ocular manifestations prevalent in adult patients with MFS during a ten-year period, and further to elucidate novel characteristics discovered in this group of patients.
The most prevalent ocular manifestation in MFS is dislocation of the biological lens. This is assumed to be present from early childhood, however, our results showed that it might occur or progress also in adulthood. Axial length and corneal curvature remained stable and the visual acuity was good throughout the period. However, increased risk of cataract and retinal detachment during the ten-years were observed.
MFS patients reported increased symptoms of photophobia and glare, and measurements of ocular straylight revealed a higher value compared to a matched control group, even after adjustments for cataracts and several other features known to be prevalent in MFS patients. Recording of pupillary response showed that the MFS patients had a smaller pupil size, slower contraction velocity and a longer time for re-dilation compared to the control group. Further, a small pupil size was found to be associated with increased straylight, however, this could not explain the difference in straylight between the two groups.
Overall, the results from this thesis highlights the importance of regular follow-up when MFS is suspected and the findings may help when informing newly diagnosed MFS patients about what symptoms they may experience. Further studies are needed to search for an explanation for these newly discovered characteristics and how they may affect the patients’ quality of life.
Additional information
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