Retinal vascular density in different refractive errors assessed by optical coherence tomography angiography

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Refractive errors, including myopia and hyperopia, affect a significant portion of the population.
• Understanding the microvascular changes associated with different refractive states is crucial for comprehensive eye care.
• Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) is an advanced imaging technique for visualizing retinal vasculature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare retinal vascular density (VD) between individuals with myopia and hyperopia.
• To investigate the correlation between retinal VD and ocular biometric parameters.
• To assess the utility of OCTA in characterizing microvascular differences in refractive errors.

Main Methods:

• Participants included individuals with moderate myopia, hyperopia, and controls.
• Retinal vascular density (VD) of the superficial and deep capillary plexuses was measured using OCTA.
• Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area and ocular biometric parameters like anterior chamber depth (ACD) were assessed.

Main Results:

• Myopic eyes exhibited significantly higher deep capillary plexus (DCP) foveal VD compared to hyperopic eyes.
• A positive correlation was found between anterior chamber depth (ACD) and superficial capillary plexus (SCP) VD in hyperopic eyes.
• Age was negatively correlated with SCP foveal VD in myopic eyes, and FAZ area negatively correlated with ACD in hyperopic and control eyes.

Conclusions:

• Myopic eyes demonstrate distinct vascular characteristics, specifically higher DCP foveal VD, compared to hyperopic eyes.
• OCTA imaging provides valuable insights into the microvasculature of eyes with varying refractive errors.
• These findings highlight potential differences in retinal vascular architecture based on refractive error.