Peripapillary vascular density and retinal nerve fibre layer changes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a systemic disease which may cause end organ damage.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate the radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) density and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness changes in patients with COPD.

Methods: The right eyes of 35 patients with COPD and 35 healthy controls were evaluated with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). RPC density values and RNFL thicknesses were measured and compared.

Results: The mean inside disc vascular density and the mean peripapillary vascular density values were lower in the COPD group (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, respectively). When the peripapillary area was evaluated independently as eight different quadrants, the RPC density values were lower in the COPD group in all of the quadrants except superotemporal and temporal superior quadrants. RNFL was thinner in all quadrants in the COPD group compared to the control group. But this difference was significant only in the nasal superior and inferonasal quadrants (p = 0.03, p = 0.04, respectively). Although, there was no correlation between the mean RPC density and the mean peripapillary RNFL thickness of the patients, FEV1 values for all patients were found to be correlated with the mean peripapillary RPC density (r = 0.406, p = 0.015).

Conclusion: OCTA may have a potential to be used in the follow-up of COPD patients.

Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; optical coherence tomography angiography; radial peripapillary capillary; retinal nerve fibre layer; vessel density.