We appreciate the valuable comments from Huang and Sha
1 regarding our recent article.
2 Their comments raise an important point about image artifacts in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).
Image artifacts in OCTA are common and physicians should be aware of this problem.
3 As reported elsewhere, it is difficult to evaluate precise vascular abnormalities when macular edema is present.
4 Thus, in the current study, we described our OCTA protocol in cases in which macular edema persisted.
2 In eyes with persistent macular edema, OCTA was performed within 2 months after the last anti-VEGF treatment, when the macular edema was suppressed temporarily. Cases with considerable macular edema after anti-VEGF treatment were excluded. Therefore, we believe that capillary loss in the deep capillary plexus was not an artifact.
Huang and Sha
1 mentioned that a prospective and longitudinal study is important to gain an understanding of the pathogenesis of branch retinal vein occlusion, a statement with which we agree heartily. A prospective study with a larger number of patients is currently underway. We are looking forward to reporting our results in the near future.