Retinal vasculature of different diameters and plexuses exhibit distinct vulnerability in varying severity of diabetic retinopathy.

OBJECTIVES: To study the changes in vessel densities (VD) stratified by vessel diameter in the retinal superficial and deep vascular complexes (SVC/DVC) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images obtained from people with diabetes and age-matched healthy controls. METHODS: We quantified the VD based on vessel diameter categorized as <10, 10-20 and >20 µm in the SVC/DVC obtained on 3 × 3 mm2 OCTA scans using a deep learning-based segmentation and vascular graph extraction tool in people with diabetes and age-matched healthy controls. RESULTS: OCTA images obtained from 854 eyes of 854 subjects were divided into 5 groups: healthy controls (n = 555); people with diabetes with no diabetic retinopathy (DR, n = 90), mild and moderate non-proliferative DR (NPDR) (n = 96), severe NPDR (n = 42) and proliferative DR (PDR) (n = 71). Both SVC and DVC showed significant decrease in VD with increasing DR severity (p < 0.001). The largest difference was observed in the <10 µm vessels of the SVC between healthy controls and no DR (13.9% lower in no DR, p < 0.001). Progressive decrease in <10 µm vessels of the SVC and DVC was seen with increasing DR severity (p < 0.001). However, 10-20 µm vessels only showed decline in the DVC, but not the SVC (p < 0.001) and there was no change observed in the >20 µm vessels in either plexus. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that OCTA is able to demonstrate a distinct vulnerability of the smallest retinal vessels in both plexuses that worsens with increasing severity of DR.

Topographic Asymmetry Indices: Correlation between Inferior Minus Superior Value and Index of Height Decentration.

PURPOSE: To investigate the correlation between decentration index (index of height decentration, IHD) automatically calculated by the Pentacam HR software and the manually calculated inferior minus superior (I-S) value. SETTING: Al Watany Eye Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. METHODS: In a retrospective study, history taking, clinical examination, and rotating Scheimpflug camera scanning (by Oculyzer II equivalent to Pentacam HR) were done to 128 eyes: 82 normal, 24 forme fruste keratoconus FFKC (apparently normal cornea with evident keratoconus in the fellow eye), and 22 keratoconus (KC). All cases of corneal scars or previous corneal surgeries were excluded. The (I-S) value was calculated manually from 10 points astride the horizontal meridian. The IHD is calculated automatically by the device software 1.17r119. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) of (I-S) value in normal, FFKC, and KC eyes were 0.30 ± 0.93, 0.11 ± 2.03, and 4.62 ± 3.89, respectively, and those of IHD were 0.008 ± 0.004, 0.011 ± 0.005, 0.066 ± 0.067, respectively. The two indices were highly correlated (p < 0.0001) with a correlation coefficient (r 2 = 0.874). Deduced regression formulae linking the two indices were calculated. CONCLUSIONS: The two topographic decentration indices are highly correlated. Deduced formulae were proposed linking them.

New corneal assessment index from the relational thickness and other OCULUS values (CAIRO Index).

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to find indices for keratoconus (KC) detection with higher sensitivity and specificity than the currently available ones with the rotating Scheimpflug imaging (Oculyzer I, Pentacam) software. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data of 103 normal and 73 KC eyes imaged by Oculyzer I, including slit-lamp examination, refraction, Scheimpflug images, and follow-up data were collected. Logistic regression was done to find new indices with higher area under receiver operating characteristic curves using the currently available ones. RESULTS: The Corneal Assessment Index from Relational thickness and other OCULUS Values 9 (CAIRO 9) index, deduced from the Ambrosio relational thickness-maximum and the anterior elevation at thinnest point from 9 mm best-fit sphere, and the CAIRO 8, deduced from Ambrosio relational thickness-maximum and anterior elevation at thinnest point from 8 mm best-fit sphere, have a very high area under receiver operating characteristic curves for KC detection (0.997 and 0.995, respectively). CONCLUSION: New corneal assessment index is deduced with better sensitivity and specificity for KC detection.