Does the Presence of the Cilioretinal Artery Affect the Incidence, Clinical Picture and Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration?

Abstract

The aims of this study were to analyze the relationship between the presence of the cilioretinal artery (CRA) and the incidence, severity and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to estimate the influence of the CRA on choroidal and retinal parameters. A total of 287 patients with AMD and 110 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. CRA occurrence was determined using color fundus images. AMD progression was assessed after 3 years. There was no difference in the incidence of CRA between the AMD and control groups (23.34% vs. 24.55%; p = 0.8). Lower-stage AMD was more frequently observed in eyes with the CRA than in eyes without the artery (p = 0.016). The CRA did not influence disease progression (p = 0.79). The CRA did not influence retinal and choroidal thickness and volume parameters or the retinal vessel caliber and functionality in either the AMD or control groups. There was no relationship between CRA presence and CFH Y402H and ARMS2 A69S risk variants. The results did not show a protective effect of the CRA on the incidence and progression of AMD. The CRA may affect the severity of AMD; however, the mechanism of this phenomenon is unclear.

Association between Subretinal Drusenoid Deposits and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Multimodal Retinal Imaging

“…The automated software version 3.1 was used to calculate choroidal volume similarly to that used for retinal volume analysis. The details of obtaining OCT images have been described previously [41].…”

“…The Retinal Vessel Analyzer (RVA) (Imedos GmbH, Weimar, Germany) allows for an evaluation of retinal vessel diameter by analyzing its brightness profile using video sequences obtained with a fundus camera. The exam was conducted in a dimly lit room after mydriasis with a 1% tropicamide solution, as previously described [41,53]. The examination was conducted after 15 min of rest to stabilize hemodynamic parameters.…”