MACULAR CHANGES IN ADULTS WITH HISTORY OF PREMATURE BIRTH.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Premature birth can impact long-term ocular health.
• Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a known complication, but subclinical macular changes in adults with a history of prematurity are less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize macular structural and vascular changes in adults with a history of premature birth using swept-source ocular coherence tomography-angiography (SS-OCTA).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of SS-OCTA scans from premature-birth adults and healthy controls.
• Analysis of macular structural parameters and vascularity metrics.
• Statistical comparison using univariate linear regression.

Main Results:

• Premature-birth adults showed significant differences in macular vascularity: smaller and less circular foveal avascular zones (FAZ) and reduced vessel density in superficial and deep capillary plexuses.
• Structural changes included shallower foveal pit depth and altered central subfield thickness ratios.
• These changes were observed even in individuals without a history of treated ROP.

Conclusions:

• Premature birth is associated with persistent alterations in macular structure and vascularity into adulthood, independent of ROP treatment.
• Findings highlight the long-term impact of prematurity on retinal development and vascular health.
• SS-OCTA is valuable for detecting these subtle changes.