Use of optical coherence tomography angiography for assessment of microvascular changes in the macula and optic nerve head in hypertensive patients without hypertensive retinopathy

To compare optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) screening parameters of the macula and optic nerve head (ONH) between healthy volunteers and chronic hypertensive patients without hypertensive retinopathy. This was an observational, cross-sectional study. Fifty-seven chronic hypertensive patients without hypertensive retinopathy (22 men and 35 women) and 40 healthy volunteers (17 men and 23 women), ranging in age from 60 to 70 years, were included in this study. Patients and volunteers were divided into three groups and one eye was selected randomly from each participant. Group A comprised patients who had a history of hypertension for >10 years (n = 35); Group B comprised patients who had a history of hypertension for 5–10 years (n = 22); and Group C comprised 40 healthy volunteers who had no history of hypertension. A 3 × 3-mm macula scan and a 4.5 × 4.5-mm ONH scan were performed in each group by OCTA using prototype AngioVue software within the AngioVue device. Vessel density (VD), foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, choriocapillaris flow area, ONH capillary density, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, and demographic information were compared among the groups. Macula scans showed that superficial plexus VD was significantly lower in groups A and B than in group C (P