Choroidal thinning can be assessed through facial video analysis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Dermatology
• Medical Imaging
• Biophotonics

Background:

• Skin features offer insights into various medical conditions and health monitoring.
• This study introduces a novel strategy for evaluating choroidal thinning using facial skin video analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a method for assessing choroidal thickness (CT) via facial video analysis.
• To correlate facial hemodynamics with macular choroidal thickness measurements.

Main Methods:

• Collected facial videos from 48 participants with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and 12 healthy controls.
• Analyzed videos using trans-angiosomes imaging photoplethysmography (TaiPPG) to derive facial imaging biomarkers.
• Correlated biomarkers with choroidal thickness (CT) measured by swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).

Main Results:

• Significant correlations were found between blood pulsation amplitude (BPA) in facial angiosomes and macular CT (r values ranging from -0.40 to -0.56, P<0.01).
• The facial video analysis tool demonstrated effectiveness in distinguishing between normal and thinned choroidal cases (AUCs 0.69-0.79) using a 200 µm CT threshold.

Conclusions:

• Established a link between choroidal blood flow and facial skin hemodynamics.
• Highlights the potential of accessible skin imaging for predicting vascular diseases.