Complete blood cell count indexes in non‐arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy

Abstract Purpose To investigate the role of some blood count‐derived inflammation biomarkers in non‐arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Methods 37 newly diagnosed NAION patients and 37 sex‐ and age‐matched subjects without NAION were recruited between January 2017 and December 2018. A blood sample was taken and complete blood cell count was performed. The following blood cell count‐derived indexes were evaluated: neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived NLR [dNLR = neutrophils/(white blood cells‐neutrophils)], platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR). Results NAION patients had significantly higher median values of mean platelet volume (MPV; p = 0.01), red cell distribution width (RDW; p = 0.015), NLR (p = 0.03), and dNLR (p = 0.01). There were no significant differences in white blood cells, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and PLR. Conclusion Results suggest that MPV, RDW, NLR and dNLR may be disease biomarkers in NAION. Larger scale studies are necessary to confirm these findings.