Optical coherence tomography angiography characteristics and correlated factors with visual acuity in retinal arterial occlusion

Purpose: To reveal the characteristics of vascular changes in retinal arterial occlusion (RAO) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and determine the correlated factors with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA).

Methods: This retrospective study recruited 54 RAO patients and 27 healthy individuals. Ophthalmic examinations including BCVA and OCTA were performed in all the patients and individuals. The OCTA outcomes were analyzed using SPSS software, and the characteristics of vascular changes and BCVA-related factors were summarized.

Results: The vessel density in all areas except fovea of both superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) was significantly reduced in RAO eyes compared with the fellow eyes and normal control eyes (P < 0.05). The vessel density of DCP in all areas except fovea was significantly reduced in the fellow eyes compared with that in the normal control eyes as well (P < 0.05). The retinal thickness in fovea was significantly increased in RAO eyes compared with that in the fellow eyes and normal control eyes (P < 0.05), without any differences in other areas between the RAO eyes and the other two groups (P > 0.05). The retinal thickness in whole area and retinal thickness in fovea were correlated with BCVA, respectively (whole area: r = 0.295, P = 0.030; fovea: r = 0.322, P = 0.018).

Conclusions: OCTA is a fast, noninvasive, and effective examination means for RAO that can display the vascular density and retinal thickness quantitatively and distinctly. RAO patients had reduced vascular density in both eyes and increased foveal retinal thickness in RAO eyes, showing a correlation with BCVA.