Evaluation of choroidal changes in patients with ocular toxoplasmosis using spectral domain optical coherence tomography

Purpose We aimed to examine the choroidal changes in ocular toxoplasmosis with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) using the enhanced depth imaging (EDI) mode. Methods The clinical and laboratory data and SD‐OCT images of patients with ocular toxoplasmosis admitted to Dicle University Ophthalmology Department were analyzed retrospectively. The demographic properties as well as the outcomes of visual acuity, intraocular pressure, biomicroscopic findings and dilated fundus examination were noted. The patients were categorized into three groups: active toxochorioretinitis (TCR), inactive TCR and healthy controls. EDI‐OCT images of lesions and choroid in the subfoveal region were obtained in patients with active and inactive TCR; while only the EDI‐OCT images of choroids in subfoveal region were obtained in the control group. Results A total of 54 subjects were evaluated including 20 individuals in the control group (7 male, 13 female), 10 patients in active TCR group (8 female, 2 male) and 24 patients in inactive TCR group (16 female, 8 male). The study groups were comparable in terms of age, gender and intraocular pressure (p = 0.862, p = 0.682, p = 0.841). The best corrected visual acuity (logMAR) was significant lower in active TCR group compared to controls (p = 0.003). The best corrected visual acuity and average choroid thickness in the subfoveal region were significantly lower in the inactive TCR group compared to control group (p = 0.001). The average choroid thickness in lesion region was found significantly thicker in active disease compared to inactive ocular toxoplasmosis (p = 0.001). Conclusions Monitoring of choroid is possible by EDI technique of SD‐OCT. This method is easily applicable and beneficial in the examining of ocular toxoplasmosis.