Analysis of the correlation between optical coherence tomography angiography parameters and visual acuity in diabetic retinopathy cases

Analysis of the Correlation Between Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Parameters and Visual Acuity in Diabetic Retinopathy Cases Aim: Evaluation of the correlation between optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) parameters and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR). Material and Methods: 75 DR cases without treatment naive macular edema were included in this retrospective study. Complete ophthalmologic examination and OCTA imaging were performed on all participants. The cases were classified as nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) according to the International Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale. Groups foveal avascular zone (FAZ) metrics, superficial capillary plexus vascular density (%) (SCP-VD) (in whole area, fovea, parafovea and perifovea areas), deep capillary plexus vascular density (%) (DCP-VD) (whole area , fovea, parafovea and perifovea areas), central macular thickness (CMT), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) parameters were compared. Foveal density-300 (FD-300) was defined as the vascular density of the 300 micron wide ring surrounding the FAZ. Correlations between BCVA and OCTA parameters were analyzed. Results: 40 NPDR and 35 PDR cases were analyzed. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of gender, age, intraocular pressure, spherical equivalent, and duration of diabetes. (p> 0.05 for all values) OCTA vascular density parameters were lower in PDR group than NPDR, but did not reach a significant level. (p> 0.05 for all values) The groups were similar in terms of FAZ area, circumference, and FD-300 (p> 0.05 for all values), while a significant correlation was found between BCVA and FD-300 (p = 0.020), there was no correlation between other OCTA parameters and BCVA. (p> 0.05 for all values) Conclusion: OCTA, may play a role in predicting visual prognosis in DR patients without macular edema. Keywords: optical coherence tomography angiography, diabetic retinopathy, vascular density, foveal density-300, best corrected visual acuity