Analysis of peripapillary and macular blood flow innonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A)

Twenty patients older than 50 years of age who applied to Hacettepe University Department of Ophthalmology and were followed up with the diagnosis of non-arteric ischemic optic neuropathy were included in the study. The eyes of these patients with a diagnosis of NAION were included in the study as Group 1 and their intact eyes as Group 2. Twenty patients in the same age group who applied to our outpatient clinic for examination and did not have any ocular or systemic disease that could affect retinal or optic nerve head blood flow were included in the study as the control group (Group 3). 3x3, 6x6 mm macula images and 4.5x4.5 mm optic disc measurements were obtained with OCTA. All measurements were made at the first examination, at the 1st month and at the 3rd month. The results were compared statistically with the Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman test. In NA-AION cases, macular and peripapillary vascular and morphological changes were detected at the first diagnosis, and a significant decrease was observed in peripapillary blood flow, macular vessel density and macular ganglion analysis in the follow-up controls. In the unaffected eyes of NA-AION cases (Group 2), the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLs) of the superior quadrant of the optic disc was found to be lower in the 3rd month examination compared to the control group (p=0.034). In conclusion, patients undergoing NA-AION have vascular and morphological changes, and their unaffected eyes are also at risk.