2025/09/17 by Lai, Abbie, Fowad, Daud, Wahab, Charbel +6
#Biomarker #Medicine and Health Sciences #OCT #OCTA #Systematic Review #Visual Acuity
paper · doi:10.17605/osf.io/hzef2
Retinal vein occlusions (RVO) are the second most common retinal vascular cause of vision loss after diabetic retinopathy. They are classified as branch (BRVO) or central (CRVO), with macular edema (ME) being the leading cause of vision loss. Anti-VEGF injections are standard therapy, guided by OCT and OCTA findings such as intra-retinal fluid, sub-retinal fluid, and ME. Beyond ME, biomarkers like disorganization of retinal inner layers (DRIL), external limiting membrane (ELM) disruption, and ellipsoid zone (EZ) disruption have been linked to prognosis, though results are inconsistent. Ischemic status and vascular metrics (FAZ, SCP, DCP) may also influence recovery, but gaps remain in establishing consistent predictors. Our study will evaluate which OCT and OCTA biomarkers best correlate with visual acuity outcomes following anti-VEGF intravitreal injections (IVI) in patients with CRVO or BRVO. Eligible participants will be adults (>18 years) treated with anti-VEGF alone, with available OCT/OCTA and BCVA data. We expect to find no major differences between biomarkers in their predictive ability for visual acuity, clarifying their clinical utility.