Quantitative Assessment Of Macular And Peripapillary Microvasculature Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography In Glaucomatous Versus Healthy Eyes

Abstract

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. With the growing burden of glaucoma, we looked for better tools for early diagnosis and monitoring. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is one of the latest noninvasive imaging technique for studying the vasculature of the retina, optic nerve, and peripapillary region. It has been shown that glaucoma is related to the reduction in ocular blood flow but before the advent of OCTA, this has been a difficult area to study. Most of the previous studies of OCTA in glaucoma looked at the vessel density (VD) of the optic nerve head and peripapillary region. In our study we used OCTA vessel density to document, quantify and compare microvasculature changes in macula and peripapillary region between healthy eyes and eyes with moderate to severe primary open angle glaucoma. The results of our study showed a statistically significant decrease in VD in the peripapillary region and both, superficial and deep macular regions in glaucoma subjects. In all of those areas, the VD decrease was more evident with increasing severity of glaucoma and more prominent structural changes. This illustrated that an increasing severity of glaucoma was associated with more pronounced functional, vascular and structural damage.