Abstract
Purpose :
To investigate the associations between visual acuity (VA) and structural optical coherence tomography (OCT) features in retinal vein occlusion (RVO) eyes after cystoid macular edema (CME) regression and to assess whether inner retinal thinning is progressive.
Methods :
Retrospective observational study of RVO eyes with regressed CME for at least 6 months. OCT scans at CME regression were analyzed, and features were correlated with VA at that visit. The inner retinal thickness was longitudinally compared between RVO and unaffected retinal quadrants (controls) with linear mixed models. The rate of inner retinal thinning was obtained as the interaction term between disease status and time. Associations between inner retinal thinning and clinical characteristics were explored.
Results :
Thirty-six RVO eyes were followed for 34.2±21.1 months after CME regression. The presence of ellipsoid zone disruption (regression estimate[standard error(SE)]= 0.16[0.04] vs. intact, p<0.001) and lower inner retinal thickness (regression estimate[SE]= -0.25[0.12] LogMAR for 100-mm increase, p=0.01) were associated with worse VA. The inner retinal thickness decreased at a faster rate in RVO than controls (median rate of retinal thinning -0.09 [interquartile range(IQR) -0.13 to -0.04] mm/month vs. -0.07 [IQR -0.08 to -0.04] mm/month, p=0.01). Macular ischemia was associated with a faster rate of retinal thinning (interaction term macular ischemia*follow-up time, p=0.04).
Conclusions :
Inner retinal and photoreceptors’ layers integrity are associated with better visual acuity once CME resolves. RVO eyes undergo progressive inner retinal thinning, presumably due to residual intracellular swelling or neurodegeneration. Macular ischemia is associated with a faster rate of inner retinal loss.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.