Abstract
Purpose :
To determine the changes in retinal microvascular density after a 24-week high-speed circuit resistance training program (HSCT) in healthy older adults.
Methods :
Thirty healthy older adults were recruited and randomly assigned to either a training group (HSCT) or a non-training (CON) group. Fifteen subjects (age 73.3 ± 7.76 yrs) in the HSCT group exercised three times per week on non-consecutive days for 24-weeks. Fifteen subjects in the CON group (age 72.2 ± 6.04 yrs) did not have formal physical training. Both eyes of each subject were imaged using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) at baseline and at the 24-week follow-up. The vessel densities of the retinal vascular network (RVN), superficial vascular plexus (SVP), and deep vascular plexus (DVP) were measured.
Results :
There were no demographic differences between study groups. There were significant decreases in the retinal vessel densities of RVN, SVP, DVP and in the HSCT group (P < 0.05, Fig. 1); however, there were no significant changes in any of the three vascular measurements in the CON group. Interestingly, the decreased vessel densities were double in the HSCT group, compared to the CON group, however, the differences between groups did not reach a significant level.
Conclusions :
This is the first study to reveal the decreased retinal vessel densities as a possible imaging marker for the beneficial effects of the 24-week HSCT program in older adults.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.