Abstract

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of acquired blindness through retinal microvascular and neurodegenerative changes. Studying peripapillary vascular density (PPVD) through Optical coherence tomography and angiography (OCT & OCTA) imaging can offer insight into the effect of these changes and aid in management.



Aim of the study: To assess the correlation between peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (PRNFL) thickness and peripapillary region perfusion through vascular density in various stages of diabetic retinopathy.



Patients and methods: This is a comparative case–control study. Participants underwent an optic nerve head OCT and OCTA to measure PRNFL thickness, and peripapillary vascular density (PPVD) using the Triton ® Topcon device. Patients’ DR was classified according to the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (EDTRS) classification.



Results: This study enrolled 95 participants: 28 controls (56 eyes) and 67 diabetic patients (123 eyes), a total of 179 eyes. The PRNFL thickness showed no statistically significant differences among study groups. The average PPVD was significantly lower in severe non-proliferative DR / neovascularization elsewhere (NPDR/ NVE) group compared to all other groups.



Conclusion: Peripapillary vascular density correlated significantly with DR severity, decreasing with increasing DR severity. The PRNFL thickness showed no significant decrease neither correlating with DR severity nor PPVD.