Abstract
Purpose :
Oxidative stress linked to mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in the pathophysiology of several retinal pathological conditions. Previous studies have shown that retinal flavoprotein fluorescence (FPF) can be used as a potential biomarker for oxidative stress. Herein, we hypothesize that FPF is higher in conditions mediated by oxidative stress and inversely correlates with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA).
Methods :
10 eyes from 10 healthy subjects, 3 eyes from 3 central serous retinopathy (CSR) patients, 8 eyes from 8 retinal vein occlusion (RVO) patients, 6 eyes from 6 proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients, and 12 eyes from 12 chronic exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients were included in the present observational study (n=39). Eyes were imaged non-invasively using a specialized fundus camera OcuMet Beacon (OcuSciences, Ann Arbor, MI). During each imaging session, the macula was imaged with a blue light in the narrow emission spectra from 520 to 540 nm. Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed to assess differences in FPF values and BCVA between the five groups. Spearman rank correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the relationship between FPF and BCVA. A p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
Results :
FPF values and BCVA of all five groups differed significantly (Kruskal-Wallis Tests, p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively). Mean FPF values of healthy controls, CSR, RVO, PDR, and wet AMD patients were 29.5 ± 7.8, 51 ± 15.6, 60.7 ± 24.4, 64 ± 25.7, and 65 ± 17.7, respectively. Compared to healthy controls, FPF values were significantly higher in conditions such as RVO, PDR, and wet AMD (p = 0.010, p = 0.012, and p < 0.01, respectively). In contrast, there was no significant difference between FPF values of CSR patients compared to healthy controls (p = 0.912). There was an inverse correlation between FPF values and BCVA (r = -0.547, p < 0.01).
Conclusions :
FPF values were significantly greater in diseases known to be mediated by oxidative stress compared to healthy controls. Higher FPF values were seen in conditions such as RVO, PDR, and wet AMD as compared to CSR, indicating that there may be varying degrees of oxidative stress in these conditions. The data is consistent with previously published literature on FPF being inversely correlated with BCVA.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.