OCTA vessel density changes in the macular zone in glaucomatous eyes

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Glaucoma Research

Background:

• Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy characterized by vision loss.
• Early detection and monitoring of glaucoma are crucial for preserving vision.
• Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) offers non-invasive visualization of retinal vasculature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if macular OCTA can detect altered vessel density (VD) in the superficial and deep vascular plexuses of glaucomatous eyes.
• To compare the diagnostic utility of individual VD parameters for glaucoma detection.

Main Methods:

• Macular VD was measured in 135 eyes (85 glaucoma, 50 healthy) using two OCTA devices.
• VD was assessed in superficial (SL) and deep (DL) retinal vascular plexuses.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated to determine diagnostic accuracy.

Main Results:

• Glaucomatous eyes showed significantly lower macular VD in both SL and DL compared to healthy eyes (p < 0.0001 for SL, p = 0.009 for DL).
• The inferior macular sector exhibited the greatest VD reduction in glaucoma.
• Whole VD in the SL demonstrated the best diagnostic accuracy (77.6% AUC).

Conclusions:

• OCTA effectively detects glaucomatous damage by measuring macular VD in both superficial and deep retinal vascular plexuses.
• OCTA serves as a valuable additional diagnostic tool for glaucoma detection, independent of optic nerve assessment.