Long-Term Retinal Vascular Changes in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Measured Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To determine if age-related macular degeneration (AMD) status affects longitudinal retinal vessel changes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective, cohort study of 125 eyes (75 patients) with AMD, following retinal vessel density (VD) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) measurements using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) over 24 months.

RESULTS

FAZ area ( < .001) and perimeter ( < .001) increased over 2 years, with no difference between nonexudative and exudative AMD ( = .134-.976). Eyes with geographic atrophy (GA) showed greater progressive VD loss ( = .023-.038), and greater increase in FAZ area ( = .044) and perimeter ( = .040) compared to eyes without GA. Neither baseline nor 2-year change in vascular parameters were associated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) or GA incidence in nonexudative AMD, or anti-VEGF injection frequency in exudative AMD ( = .070-.952).

CONCLUSION

AMD eyes with GA undergo more rapid loss of retinal vessel density and FAZ enlargement over 2 years, suggesting a relationship between the retinal vasculature and AMD pathophysiology. .