Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 28, 2026
Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Published on: May 26, 2023
OCTA macular parameters to predict Peripheral Retinopathy Severity in Sickle Cell Disease
Maher Saleh1, Zeinab El Moussawi, Xavier Kouassi
1Department of Ophthalmology, Farah Hospital, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Purpose:
To explore correlation between microvascular changes in the macula as seen on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and peripheral retinal ischemia in patients with sickle cell disease.
Methods:
112 patients with SCD (112 eyes) and 45 age-matched unaffected controls (45 eyes) were included. SCD patients were divided into two groups: those with peripheral retinal ischemia (n=69) and those without (n=43). We analyzed foveal avascular zone (FAZ) parameters and perifoveal capillary density, and these metrics were correlated with the extent of peripheral ischemia.
Results:
Patients with peripheral ischemia exhibited significantly larger FAZ areas and lower perifoveal capillary densities compared to both non-ischemic SCD patients and controls. These differences were most pronounced in the DCP. Notably, even SCD patients without detectable peripheral ischemia showed a trend toward reduced DCP density (p=0.04 vs. controls), suggesting early vulnerability of this plexus. The degree of FAZ enlargement and capillary dropout correlated strongly with the number of ischemic quadrants on angiography (r up to 0.52, p<0.001). Eyes with proliferative retinopathy had even more severe macular changes than those with non-proliferative ischemia.
Conclusion:
In SCD, macular microvascular alterations on OCTA are strongly related to the presence and severity of peripheral retinal ischemia.
