OCT and OCTA evaluation of vascular and morphological structures in the retina in recovered pediatric patients with COVID-19()

BACKGROUND: Using OCT and OCTA imaging, we aimed to determine whether COVID-19 induces pathological changes in vascular and morphological structures in the pediatric retina. METHODS: The current prospective, cross-sectional, observational clinical study included recovered pediatric patients with COVID-19 evaluated between May 2020 and June 2020. Retinal vascular (radial peripapillary, superficial, and deep capillary plexus vessel densities) and morphological (peripapillary retinal nerve fiber, ganglion cell layer, retinal, and choroidal thickness) in the optic disk and macula regions were quantitively assessed using OCT and OCTA. Data were compared between COVID-19 patients and age-matched controls. RESULTS: The COVID-19 group included 32 eyes of 16 patients and the control group included 32 eyes of 16 cases. Fundus and biomicroscopic examinations revealed no signs of pathology in the COVID-19 group. Mean peripapillary retinal nerve fiber, ganglion cell layer, and choroidal thickness values were significantly greater in the COVID-19 group than in the control group (p<0.05). OCTA indicated that mean superficial and deep capillary plexus vessel densities, and choriocapillaris flow area values were significantly lower in the COVID-19 group than in the control group, whereas mean radial peripapillary capillary plexus vessel density values were significantly higher (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Even if fundus examination results appear normal in pediatric patients with COVID-19, vascular and morphological changes may be observed in the retina. Further studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to elucidate the clinical significance of vascular and morphological changes in this population.