Eye fatigue is a common health problem across all age groups. Herein, we explored the correlation between
eye fatigue and thickness of the
retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL). Included in the NFL are intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which are associated with trigeminal
pain. This retrospective cross-sectional study included outpatients with best-corrected visual acuity above 20/30 in both eyes and without
dry eye,
glaucoma, or
retinal disease. A total of 1981 patients were initially enrolled and 377 patients were declared as eligible for the study analysis. We tested subjects for the presence of major ocular symptoms and measured thickness of
ganglion cell complex (GCC) using optical coherence tomography. A total of 377 outpatients (46.4% men, mean age of 57.1 years) were enrolled for analysis, based on the interview-reported prevalence of six eye symptom, as follows: 31.5% for
eye fatigue, 19.2% for blurring, 18.6% for dryness, 15.7% for
photophobia, 13.5% for irritation, and 4.6% for
pain. The macular GCC was significantly thicker in subjects with
eye fatigue compared to the group not reporting
eye fatigue (103.8 μm versus 100.3 μm, P = 0.014). Regression analysis identified
eye fatigue (P = 0.026, β=0.122, adjusted for age and sex) and dryness (P =0.024, β=0.130) as significantly correlated with the macular GCC thickness, while the full macular thickness showed no significant correlation. In conclusions,
eye fatigue and dryness were positively associated with thickness of the macular GCC. Nonvisual symptoms might therefore play a role in the development of
eye fatigue.