Macular vascular density changes in different stages of chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma

TL;DR

This study shows that chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma is linked to reduced macular vascular density, which correlates with visual field damage.

Contribution

The study identifies a significant decline in macular vascular density in CPACG and its correlation with visual field loss.

Findings

MVD in CPACG eyes declined by 11.5% in the superficial capillary plexus and 6.8% in the deep capillary plexus compared to controls.

MVD was significantly correlated with RNFL thickness, axial length, and mean deviation of the visual field.

OCTA proved effective in detecting vascular deterioration in CPACG eyes.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate differences in macular vascular density (MVD) between individuals with chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma (CPACG) and healthy controls, as well as to evaluate cross-sectional changes in MVD at various stages of CPACG.

This is a retrospective study based on the epidemiological survey of eye diseases in the local community, including 47 eyes of CPACG subjects (20 eyes at the early stage and 27 eyes at the middle-to-severe stages). All subjects underwent optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) imaging to detect MVD, as well as macular retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness. Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate other ophthalmic indicators related to vascular density loss.

Compared to the control group, the MVD in CPACG eyes significantly declined by 11.5% in the superficial capillary plexus (p = 0.012) and 6.8% in the deep capillary plexus. Single correlation analysis showed that MVD in CPACG eyes was significantly correlated with axial length (r = 0.493, p = 0.036), RNFL thickness (r = 0.488, p = 0.047), and mean deviation of the visual field (r = −0.546, p = 0.010). In addition, multiple regression analysis also suggested that MVD was positively correlated with GCL/RNFL thickness and negatively correlated with the mean deviation of the visual field (p = 0.004).

Our study demonstrated that OCTA was a valuable tool for detecting vascular deterioration in CPACG eyes, with a stronger association between MVD and visual field damage. Further research is warranted to explore the potential of MVD as a biomarker for glaucoma progression.

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