Choroidal Vascularity Index in Schizophrenia Compared to Healthy Subjects: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aims to evaluate choroidal vascular architecture in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy individuals.

This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2019 and 2021. In total, 22 hospitalized patients with documented instances of schizophrenia and 22 healthy subjects were included. Demographic, clinical ophthalmic, psychiatric, and enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) data were gathered. The choroidal luminal area (LA), total choroidal area (TCA), and choroidal thickness (CT) were calculated using the ImageJ software. The choroidal vascularity index (CVI) was calculated as the ratio of LA to TCA.

The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the LA was 0.301 ± 0.03 mm² and 0.251 ± 0.04 mm² in the schizophrenia and healthy subjects, respectively (p < 0.001). Besides, TCA was significantly larger in schizophrenia patients (p = 0.01). The results showed that despite no statistically significant difference in the subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) between the two groups of schizophrenia and healthy subjects, CVI is significantly higher in schizophrenia patients (p = 0.04).

Increased CVI supports the hypothesis of microvascular dysfunction in schizophrenia. However, the precise mechanism and pathogenesis of microvascular changes in schizophrenia are unclear.