Birefringence of the primate retinal nerve fiber layer

RNFL birefringence was higher in the arcuate bundles compared to nasal and temporal fibers (P=0.001). Birefringence was nearly equal in nasal and temporal quadrants. No statistically significant (P=0.01) radial gradient of birefringence was observed in any quadrant. RNFL birefringence is believed to originate from anisotropic structures within the cytoskeleton of the parallel axons. Birefringence differences presented in this study cannot be explained by the known axon diameter distribution around the optic nervehead and suggest other sources of the birefringence signal including neurotubules and neurofilaments.