Foveal abnormalities determined by optical coherence tomography angiography in children with history of retinopathy of prematurity.

Purpose: To describe the foveal characteristics of children with a history of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Methods: All eyes were examined by OCTA (RTVue AVANTI, Optovue Inc, Fremont, CA) with a scan of 3 × 3 mm cantered on the fovea. The size of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ), central retinal thickness (CRT), and foveal bulge were measured.

Results: Forty-eight eyes of 26 children with a history of ROP and a mean age of 8.8 years with a range of 4-16 years (ROP group) were studied. Sixty-six eyes of 36 children without any fundus abnormalities and with an average age of 10.5 years and a range of 3-17 years (control group) were studied as controls. The mean FAZ area in the ROP group was 0.18 mm which was significantly smaller than the 0.32 mm in the control group (p < 0.01). The mean CRT was significantly thicker in the ROP group (228 µm) compared to the control group (189 µm; p < 0.01). The size of FAZ was not measurable in 5 eyes (10.4%) of 3 children in the ROP group. The correlation between the FAZ area and CRT was significant in both the ROP and control groups (r = -0.53 in ROP; r = -0.57 in control; both p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the height of the foveal bulge between two groups (p = 0.64).

Conclusions: The FAZ is smaller in ex-preterm children with a history of ROP (including laser treatment for ROP) than in children who were not premature.