Correlation between Retinal Changes and Visual Function in Late-Stage Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease: An Optical...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Retinal Diseases

Background:

• Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is a systemic inflammatory condition affecting ocular tissues.
• Late-stage VKH disease can lead to significant visual impairment.
• Understanding the structural changes in late-stage VKH is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in patients with late-stage Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease.
• To investigate the correlation between OCT findings and visual function in these patients.
• To assess the relationship between morphological changes and functional outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of patient records with late-stage VKH disease (≥12 months from onset).
• Analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings, focusing on the outer retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).
• Correlation of OCT results with microperimetry data and visual function.

Main Results:

• OCT revealed primary involvement of the outer retina and RPE, including thickening and disruption of the cone outer segment tip (COST) line and/or inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junction.
• Intact COST lines correlated with intact IS/OS and RPE layers, indicating better visual function and retinal sensitivity.
• The status of the COST line and IS/OS junction was significantly related to macular function and treatment delay (P < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• OCT findings are strongly associated with macular function in late-stage VKH disease.
• The COST line and retinal sensitivity, as assessed by OCT and microperimetry, are valuable indicators for evaluating late-stage VKH.
• OCT serves as a useful tool for assessing structural and functional changes in chronic VKH disease.