Microvascular comparison in younger and older patients with retinal vein occlusion analyzed by OCT angiography

BACKGROUND: To compare changes in retinal microvasculature of young and elderly patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) after anti-VEGF treatment. METHODS: RVO patients who underwent anti-VEGF treatment were retrospectively reviewed and categorized into two groups based on age. The OCT angiography images were obtained during each visit. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), vessel density (VD) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) were measured and compared between the two groups. Vision improvements and retinal microvasculature changes were also correlated. RESULTS: Twenty patients with 20 eyes were enrolled in the younger group and 46 patients with 46 eyes were enrolled in the older group. Younger patients demonstrated better BCVA, higher VD and smaller FAZ than older patients at 12 months after the first anti-VEGF treatment. The improvement of VD was observed only in the younger group. A positive correlation between vision improvement and VD increase was noted. CONCLUSIONS: Young patients with RVO can achieve rapid rehabilitation of deep retinal vasculature which lead to a better visual outcome.