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Retinal oxygen extraction in humans
René M Werkmeister1, Doreen Schmidl1,2, Gerold Aschinger1,3
1Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
Scientific Reports
|October 28, 2015
Summary
We developed a new method to measure retinal oxygen extraction. This technique, by measuring blood flow and oxygen saturation, shows significant decreases in oxygen extraction when breathing 100% oxygen.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Retinal function relies on sufficient oxygen supply.
- The inner retina receives oxygen from the retinal circulation.
- Understanding retinal oxygen metabolism is crucial for diagnosing and treating retinal diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel method for calculating total retinal oxygen extraction.
- To assess changes in retinal oxygen extraction under varying oxygen conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized dual-beam bidirectional Doppler optical coherence tomography to measure total retinal blood flow.
- Employed spectrophotometry to determine oxygen saturation.
- Conducted measurements on 8 healthy subjects under ambient room air and 100% oxygen breathing conditions.
Main Results:
- Total retinal blood flow significantly decreased from 44.3 ± 9.0 μl/min to 18.7 ± 4.2 μl/min (P < 0.001) when breathing 100% oxygen.
- Retinal oxygen extraction markedly reduced from 2.33 ± 0.51 μl(O2)/min to 0.88 ± 0.14 μl(O2)/min.
- Demonstrated a significant impact of high oxygen concentration on retinal oxygen consumption.
Conclusions:
- The developed method accurately quantifies retinal oxygen extraction.
- This technique shows potential for studying oxygen metabolism in retinal diseases like diabetic retinopathy.
- The findings highlight the dynamic regulation of retinal oxygen supply and demand.
