The role of the retinal vasculature in age-related macular degeneration: a spotlight on OCTA

• Published in: Eye (London) Vol. 38; no. 3; pp. 442 - 449
• Main Authors: Taylor, Thomas R P, Menten, Martin J, Rueckert, Daniel, Sivaprasad, Sobha, Lotery, Andrew J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01.02.2024; Nature Publishing Group UK
• Subjects: Age; Angiography; Blood vessels; Choroid - blood supply; Fluorescein Angiography - methods; Humans; Macular Degeneration; Morbidity; Nomenclature; Retina; Retinal Vessels - diagnostic imaging; Review; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods
• ISSN: 0950-222X; 1476-5454
• DOI: 10.1038/s41433-023-02721-7

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remains a disease with high morbidity and an incompletely understood pathophysiological mechanism. The ocular blood supply has been implicated in the development of the disease process, of which most research has focused on the role of the choroid and choriocapillaris. Recently, interest has developed into the role of the retinal vasculature in AMD, particularly with the advent of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), which enables non-invasive imaging of the eye's blood vessels. This review summarises the up-to-date body of work in this field including the proposed links between observed changes in the retinal vessels and the development of AMD and potential future directions for research in this area. The review highlights that the strongest evidence supports the observation that patients with early to intermediate AMD have reduced vessel density in the superficial vascular complex of the retina, but also emphasises the need for caution when interpreting such studies due to their variable methodologies and nomenclature.