Macular Vessel Density in Diabetic Retinopathy Patients: How Can We Accurately Measure and What Can It Tell Us?

Varsha Pramil; Emily S Levine; Nadia K Waheed

doi:10.2147/OPTH.S272328

Macular Vessel Density in Diabetic Retinopathy Patients: How Can We Accurately Measure and What Can It Tell Us?

Clin Ophthalmol. 2021 Apr 13:15:1517-1527. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S272328. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Varsha Pramil^{1

2}, Emily S Levine^{1

2}, Nadia K Waheed¹

Affiliations

¹ New England Eye Center, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
² Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive technology that provides depth-resolved images of the chorioretinal vasculature and allows for the understanding of the changes in vasculature with diabetic retinopathy. Not only can it provide qualitative information, but OCTA can also provide quantitative information about the vasculature in patients with diabetic retinopathy. Macular vessel density is one of the quantitative metrics that can be obtained from OCTA images. This is a repeatable and non-subjective measurement that can provide valuable insight into the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy. In this non-systematic review, the measurement of macular vessel density in diabetic retinopathy and the reasons for its importance in the diagnosis and management of patients with diabetes and varying severities of diabetic retinopathy is discussed.

Keywords: OCTA; diabetic retinopathy; macular vessel density.

Publication types

Review