Retinal blood flow velocity in patients with active uveitis using the retinal function imager

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Vascular Biology
• Retinal Imaging

Background:

• Previous studies suggest a link between macular edema and retinal blood flow velocity (RBFV).
• The effects of inflammation on retinal blood vessels in uveitis are not fully understood.
• This study investigates RBFV in active uveitis patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate differences in RBFV between active uveitis patients and healthy controls using retinal function imager (RFI).
• To determine the correlation between RBFV and central macular thickness (CMT) in uveitis patients.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-eight eyes of 24 active anterior uveitis patients and 51 eyes of 51 healthy controls were enrolled.
• Retinal blood flow velocities were measured using RFI.
• Central macular thickness was assessed using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Main Results:

• Eyes with uveitic cystoid macular edema (CME) showed significantly lower median venous velocity compared to controls (2.09 vs. 2.82 mm/s, P = 0.044).
• A strong linear relationship was observed between decreased venous velocity and increased central retinal thickness in uveitic eyes (P = 0.007).
• Arterial velocities did not show significant differences among the groups.

Conclusions:

• Retinal venous velocities are significantly decreased in eyes with uveitic CME.
• Reduced retinal venous velocity is correlated with increased central retinal thickness in uveitic eyes.
• These findings highlight the impact of inflammation on retinal hemodynamics in uveitis.