[OCT Angiography of the Glaucoma Optic Nerve]

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Glaucoma is a leading global cause of irreversible blindness.
• Vascular dysregulation is a potential contributing factor to glaucoma pathophysiology.
• Optic disc vascular changes may indicate glaucoma development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Optical Coherence Tomography angiography (OCTA) in detecting altered peripapillary flow density in glaucoma patients.
• To compare flow density between glaucoma-affected eyes and healthy controls using OCTA.
• To explore the relationship between glaucoma progression and peripapillary flow density.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-eight eyes (34 glaucoma, 34 healthy) were analyzed using the AngioVue™ OCTA system.
• Peripapillary total flow density was quantified at two segmentation levels and across optic disc sectors.
• Glaucoma progression was assessed by measuring the thickness of the ganglion cell complex and retinal nerve fiber layer.

Main Results:

• Significantly reduced peripapillary total flow density was observed in glaucoma eyes compared to healthy controls at both segmentation levels.
• A negative correlation was found between glaucoma disease progression and peripapillary flow density.
• No significant differences in flow density were detected among individual optic disc sectors.

Conclusions:

• OCT angiography provides a non-invasive method for quantifying peripapillary flow density.
• Reduced flow density is a characteristic finding in glaucoma patients.
• OCTA enhances diagnostic capabilities for glaucoma detection and patient monitoring.