Role of OCT-angiography in the management of sickle cell retinopathy

Sickle cell retinopathy is the main ophthalmologic complication of sickle cell syndrome. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCT-A) permit demonstration of central retinal involvement. The goal of this study is to determine whether central retinal involvement is predictive of peripheral retinal ischemia. We carried out a retrospective study of 31 patients with sickle cell disease who underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination. We focused on capillary density of the superficial and deep plexuses and the central avascular surface by OCT-A, and retinal layer thickness by OCT. All of the findings obtained by OCT-A and OCT were classified according to the Goldberg stages on fluorescein angiography. A thinning of the mean and temporal deep plexus capillary layer as well as a loss of the temporal density of the superficial plexus capillaries are significantly higher in the case of proliferative sickle cell retinopathy (P=