Quantitative analysis of retinal microcirculation in children with hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia: an optical coherence tomography angiography study.

Purpose: To evaluate optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA) findings on retinal microcirculation in hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia compared with fellow eyes and nonamblyopic control eyes.

Methods: A total of 40 pediatric patients with hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia and 57 control subjects were recruited, and 137 eyes (40 amblyopic, 40 fellow, and 57 control eyes) were evaluated. Data on best-corrected visual acuity (logMAR), axial length (mm), refractive error, and OCTA findings (foveal avascular zone parameters, macular vascular density in superficial and deep retinal capillary plexus, central macular thickness) were recorded in amblyopic, fellow, and control eyes.

Results: Compared with fellow and control eyes, amblyopic eyes were associated with significantly lower foveal vessel density values within 300 μm around the foveal avascular zone (P < 0.01) and lower vascular density in certain areas of superficial and deep retinal capillary plexus in axial length- and refraction-adjusted analysis (P < 0.05 for all), along with significantly higher full thickness of the central macula (P = 0.04). In amblyopic eyes, best-corrected visual acuity values were negatively correlated with foveal density (r = -0.57; P = 0.02) and deep capillary retinal plexus vascular density in foveal (r = -0.51; P = 0.03) parafovea temporal (r = -0.52; P = 0.03), and parafovea superior (r = -0.51; P = 0.04) areas.

Conclusions: Our findings indicate a possible association between retinal microcirculation and amblyopia.