Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate the retinal and microvascular features using optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA) in children (<18 years) with a history of cataract.To evaluate the retinal and microvascular features using optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA) in children (<18 years) with a history of cataract.
Methods :
Setting: A tertiary referral center in Southeast China
Study Population: The patients included children with a history of cataract who had undergone cataract surgery. The controls included age-matched healthy children.
Observation Procedure: All participants underwent comprehensive ophthamological examinations, including visual acuity, refraction, ocular motility tests, cover tests; anterior and posterior segment examination; and OCTA. Main Outcomes and Measures: Reduced superficial and deep retinal capillary vessel density on macular 3 x 3-mm scan.
Results :
We enrolled 37 eyes of children with a history of cataract and 36 eyes of healthy children. The mean (SD) age of patients with a history of cataract was 7.8 (3.7) years and 9.1 (2.4) years for the controls. Of the 37 eyes with a history of cataract, 25 eyes were amblyopic whose mean best-corrected visual acuity (SD) was 0.5(0.2). The macular vessel density of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) was lower in the eyes with a history of cataract than in the controls (46.8%[3.6] vs 48.9%[2.2], P = .003). Macular vessel density of the deep capillary plexus (DCP) was also lower in eyes with a history of cataract than in the controls (49.7%[4.7] vs 51.9%[3.3], P = .021). There were no significant differences of papillary and peripapillary vessel density and foveal avascular zone between eyes with a history of cataract and the controls.
Conclusions :
The macular vessel density of SCP and DCP in eyes with a history of cataract is lower than that in the age-matched healthy controls. How the experience of a period of vision deprivation affects the normal retinal vasculature development needs further studies.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.