Optic nerve head optical coherence tomography angiography findings in patients with thyroid eye disease: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate changes in the vessel density (VD) of the optic nerve head (ONH) microvasculature in thyroid eye disease (TED) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). This study aimed to applicate the OCTA as a noninvasive modality in screening TED patients to assess sub-clinical changes. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, the control group patients were healthy individuals with no ocular abnormalities and were euthyroid. All patients with TED had clinical features of the disease. We divided them into two groups using the clinical activity score (CAS). Patients with CAS scores 0-2 were categorized as group A, and scores three or more as group B. All vessels (AV) and small vessels (SV) VD inside disc and radial peripapillary capillary network were measured using the ONH-OCTA. RESULTS: We evaluated 29 patients with TED and 28 healthy controls. The mean whole image AV VD (mean ± SD: 56.33 ± 2.56, p-value = 0.17) and the mean whole image SV VD (mean ± SD: 49.94 ± 2.56, p-value = 0.16) in the TED group had no statically significant difference compared with the control group (AV mean ± SD: 57.20 ± 20.22, SV mean ± SD: 50.84 ± 2.23). We found a non-significant decrease in AV and SV radial peripapillary capillary VD in the TED group. There was a significant decrease in the mean whole image AV VD (mean ± SD: 54.83 ± 3.07, p-value = 0.005) and the mean whole image SV VD (mean ± SD: 48.60 ± 3.18, p-value = 0.013) in CAS group B compared to group A (AV mean ± SD: 57.45 ± 1.33, SV mean ± SD: 50.95 ± 1.37). CONCLUSION: Our study showed non-significant ONH vascular alterations in patients with TED, including reduced VD of ONH in the radial peripapillary capillary. Patients with higher CAS scores had a more noticeable decrease in ONH microvasculature.

Optical coherence tomography angiography analysis of the retina in patients recovered from COVID-19: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the density of the macular microvasculature and the area of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) in patients recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) analysis. METHODS: In a comparative cross-sectional, observational study, patients recovered from COVID-19 were included in this study. All included subjects exhibited a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. Spectral domain macular OCTA was performed at least 2 weeks after recovery from systemic COVID-19. Vessel density (VD) of the superficial (SCP) and deep retinal capillary plexus (DCP) and the area of the FAZ were measured in COVID-19 recovered patients versus age-matched normal controls. RESULTS: Thirty-one recovered COVID-19 patients and 23 healthy normal controls were studied. Mean quality scan index was 7.64 ± 0.66 in the COVID cases and 8.34 ± 0.71 in the normal controls (p = 0.001). Mean SCP VD and DCP VD of the COVID cohort were significantly lower than the SCP VD and DCP VD of the control group in the foveal and parafoveal regions. FAZ area was greater in the COVID cohort, but this difference was not statistically significant. In addition, in the COVID cohort, VD of the SCP was lower in patients with a history of COVID-19 hospitalization versus those without such a history, but this did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Patients recovered from COVID-19 displayed alterations in the retinal microvasculature, including a significantly lower VD in the SCP and DCP. Patients with coronavirus infection may be at risk of retinal vascular complications.

Efficacy of adjuvant topical timolol-dorzolamide with intravitreal bevacizumab injection in diabetic macular edema: A contralateral eye study.

PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy of adjuvant topical timolol-dorzolamide with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injection on anatomic and functional results in eyes affected with diabetic macular edema (DME). METHODS: In an interventional prospective contralateral pilot eye study at a third level referral academic facility, patients with bilateral DME who were treatment-naive were enrolled. Enrolled patients received a treatment plan of topical timolol-dorzolamide twice daily in the right eye. Three monthly bilateral IVB injections 1.25 mg/0.05 mL were also planned. Baseline central macular thickness (CMT) was measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and clinical information such as best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and intraocular pressure (IOP) were collected at enrollment and one month after the third injection. RESULTS: Eleven patients (seven females) with DME were included. BCVA and CMT improved in both eyes and IOP decreased in the right eye but did not change in the left eye. In repeated measures ANOVA analysis, the decrease in CMT and improvement in BCVA were significant in the right eye. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that adjuvant topical timolol-dorzolamide in combination with IVB may further reduce central macular thickness in eyes with DME.