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Conjunctival microcirculation in ocular and systemic microvascular disease
Kofi Asiedu1, Arun V Krishnan2,3, Natalie Kwai4
1School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Insights
The conjunctival microcirculation, a network of tiny blood vessels, can be measured using various techniques. Its study offers insights into ocular and systemic diseases like diabetes and Alzheimer's.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Microcirculation Research
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- The conjunctival microcirculation is an accessible microvascular network.
- Quantitative assessment of conjunctival haemodynamics provides insights into ocular and systemic health.
- Current measurement algorithms are manual or semi-automated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review conjunctival microcirculation characteristics and measurement techniques.
- To explore the association between conjunctival microcirculation and disease-related microvascular abnormalities.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on conjunctival microcirculation.
- Description of measurement techniques including functional slit-lamp biomicroscopy, laser doppler flowmetry, optical coherence tomography angiography, orthogonal polarized spectral imaging, computer-assisted intravitral microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and corneal confocal microscopy.
Main Results:
- Conjunctival microcirculatory haemodynamics are linked to various diseases.
- Established relationship between conjunctival microvascular function and conditions such as dry eye, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, hypertension, sepsis, coronary microvascular disease, and sickle cell anaemia.
Conclusions:
- Conjunctival microcirculation assessment is valuable for understanding microvascular haemodynamics.
- This review highlights the diagnostic potential of conjunctival microcirculation in systemic and ocular diseases.
Abstract:
The conjunctival microcirculation is an accessible complex network of micro vessels whose quantitative assessment can reveal microvascular haemodynamic properties. Currently, algorithms for the measurement of conjunctival haemodynamics use either manual or semi-automated systems, which may provide insight into overall conjunctival health, as well as in ocular and systemic disease. These algorithms include functional slit-lamp biomicroscopy, laser doppler flowmetry, optical coherence tomography angiography, orthogonal polarized spectral imaging, computer-assisted intravitral microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and corneal confocal microscopy. Furthermore, several studies have demonstrated a relationship between conjunctival microcirculatory haemodynamics and many diseases such as dry eye disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, hypertension, sepsis, coronary microvascular disease, and sickle cell anaemia. This review aims to describe conjunctival microcirculation, its characteristics, and techniques for its measurement, as well as the association between conjunctival microcirculation and microvascular abnormalities in disease states.
