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2025 OMIG Abstract
Localizing Retinal Vessel Density Changes Associated with the Presence of Activated Dendritic Cells Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Alex Hattenhauer1,2, Kimberly Cabrera1, Elyana V.T. Locatelli1,2, Raquel Goldhardt1,2, Jianhua Wang2,
Anat Galor1,2
1Surgical and Research Services, Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center, Miami, Florida; 2Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
Purpose: This study aims to investigate the association between activated corneal dendritic cells, an established marker of ocular surface inflammation, and retinal vessel density. While it remains unclear whether inflammation at the ocular surface reflects or contributes to changes in deeper retinal structures, identifying such a link may offer new insight into shared inflammatory processes across distinct compartments of the eye. Given that inflammation is known to disrupt microvascular integrity, retinal vessel density serves as a relevant metric for detecting potential downstream vascular effects of ocular surface inflammation.
Methods: Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images (6×6 mm, 1024 pixels) of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) were obtained and divided into quadrants. Fractal analysis using the box-counting method was applied to calculate the fractal dimension, representing vessel density.
Results: Participants with activated dendritic cells observed on corneal confocal microscopy (n=30) demonstrated reduced vessel density across multiple quadrants and hemispheres of the DCP compared to controls without activated dendritic cells (n=33). Statistically significant reductions were found in:
- Whole DCP image: −5.4% (p=0.025)
- DCP superior half: −8.8% (p=0.032)
- DCP inferior half: −7.2% (p=0.021)
- DCP inferior temporal quadrant: −5.8% (p=0.045)
- DCP inferior nasal quadrant: −9.2% (p=0.014)
Conclusions: Retinal vessel density in the DCP is significantly reduced in individuals with activated corneal dendritic cells, supporting a link between ocular surface inflammation and alterations in retinal microvascular structure.
Disclosure: N
Support:
This study was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Clinical Sciences R&D (CSRD) I01 CX002015 (AG), Biomedical Laboratory R&D (BLRD) Service I01 BX004893 (AG), Rehabilitation R&D (RRD) I21 RX003883 (AG), Department of Defense Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) W81XWH-20-1-0579 (AG) and Vision Research Program (VRP) W81XWH-20-1-0820 (AG), National Eye Institute R01EY026174 (AG) and R61EY032468 (AG), and NIH Center Core Grant P30EY014801 (institutional) and Research to Prevent Blindness Unrestricted Grant GR004596 (institutional).
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