Retinal Changes Associated With Diabetes and With Hypertension

Impaired Retinal Vasoreactivity: An Early Marker of Stroke Risk in Diabetes

“…Our study suggests that impaired retinal venous reactivity is an earlier indicator of endothelial dysfunction in prediabetes and early stages of diabetes than retinal arterial dysfunction. This finding is in line with fundoscopy‐based studies suggesting involvement of the retinal venous rather than the arterial microcirculation in early stages of diabetic retinopathy . Previous studies have described retinal venous stasis and enlargement of retinal veins as one of the earliest and sometimes only finding in diabetic retinopathy, found in about 10% to 43% of patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes .…”

Impaired Retinal Vasoreactivity: An Early Marker of Stroke Risk in Diabetes

“…Our study suggests that impaired retinal venous reactivity is an earlier indicator of endothelial dysfunction in prediabetes and early stages of diabetes than retinal arterial dysfunction. This finding is in line with fundoscopy‐based studies suggesting involvement of the retinal venous rather than the arterial microcirculation in early stages of diabetic retinopathy . Previous studies have described retinal venous stasis and enlargement of retinal veins as one of the earliest and sometimes only finding in diabetic retinopathy, found in about 10% to 43% of patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes .…”

Multimodal Imaging Characterization of Arteriolosclerotic Plaques in Retinal Vein Occlusion

“…Arteriolosclerosis has been described as a degenerative process involving the arterioles in eyes with RVO, independently or additively to the underlying hypertensive damage 8. We noticed that eyes with arteriolosclerotic plaques had worse vision and a thinner macula at the last follow-up, with mean values below the normal thickness limits.…”

“…The loss of the intraluminal normal OCT aspect signal may suggest a real change in the arterial blood rheology at the site of plaque formation, with loss of normal bilaminar flow, or a shadow artifact by the walls' increased signal. In keeping with this, clinicopathologic studies have correlated arteriolosclerosis with endothelial proliferation, gliosis and lipid deposition in the arteriolar wall layers, and relative reduction of their lumen 8,18,19. In all previous reports, the authors asserted the arteries were not blocked, even in cases in which the blood column was ophthalmoscopically hidden.…”

“…The reason for underlying arteriolosclerotic plaques, as well as their presence in only a subset of patients with RVO (given the similar demographics and systemic comorbidities in our study cohort), is unknown. The plaques might be secondary to disturbed nutrition of the vessels' walls in the local stagnant environment of RVO 7,8. The increased outflow venous pressure proximally to the vein occlusion and distal to arteriolar flow has been implicated also 17.…”

Arteriolar Involvement in Diabetic Retinopathy

“…The formation of new venous channels in the diabetic retina has also been described by Michaelson and Campbell (1940) and by Ballantyne (1945), but these authors believed that the new pathways resulted from venous congestion or venous block. Such by-passes may possibly develop from venous occlusion, but the majority appear, in our experience, to follow obstruction on -the arterial side.…”

Impaired Retinal Vasoreactivity: An Early Marker of Stroke Risk in Diabetes

“…Our study suggests that impaired retinal venous reactivity is an earlier indicator of endothelial dysfunction in prediabetes and early stages of diabetes than retinal arterial dysfunction. This finding is in line with fundoscopy‐based studies suggesting involvement of the retinal venous rather than the arterial microcirculation in early stages of diabetic retinopathy . Previous studies have described retinal venous stasis and enlargement of retinal veins as one of the earliest and sometimes only finding in diabetic retinopathy, found in about 10% to 43% of patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes .…”

Multimodal Imaging Characterization of Arteriolosclerotic Plaques in Retinal Vein Occlusion

“…Arteriolosclerosis has been described as a degenerative process involving the arterioles in eyes with RVO, independently or additively to the underlying hypertensive damage 8. We noticed that eyes with arteriolosclerotic plaques had worse vision and a thinner macula at the last follow-up, with mean values below the normal thickness limits.…”

“…The loss of the intraluminal normal OCT aspect signal may suggest a real change in the arterial blood rheology at the site of plaque formation, with loss of normal bilaminar flow, or a shadow artifact by the walls' increased signal. In keeping with this, clinicopathologic studies have correlated arteriolosclerosis with endothelial proliferation, gliosis and lipid deposition in the arteriolar wall layers, and relative reduction of their lumen 8,18,19. In all previous reports, the authors asserted the arteries were not blocked, even in cases in which the blood column was ophthalmoscopically hidden.…”

“…The reason for underlying arteriolosclerotic plaques, as well as their presence in only a subset of patients with RVO (given the similar demographics and systemic comorbidities in our study cohort), is unknown. The plaques might be secondary to disturbed nutrition of the vessels' walls in the local stagnant environment of RVO 7,8. The increased outflow venous pressure proximally to the vein occlusion and distal to arteriolar flow has been implicated also 17.…”

Arteriolar Involvement in Diabetic Retinopathy

“…The formation of new venous channels in the diabetic retina has also been described by Michaelson and Campbell (1940) and by Ballantyne (1945), but these authors believed that the new pathways resulted from venous congestion or venous block. Such by-passes may possibly develop from venous occlusion, but the majority appear, in our experience, to follow obstruction on -the arterial side.…”

Impaired Retinal Vasoreactivity: An Early Marker of Stroke Risk in Diabetes

“…Our study suggests that impaired retinal venous reactivity is an earlier indicator of endothelial dysfunction in prediabetes and early stages of diabetes than retinal arterial dysfunction. This finding is in line with fundoscopy‐based studies suggesting involvement of the retinal venous rather than the arterial microcirculation in early stages of diabetic retinopathy . Previous studies have described retinal venous stasis and enlargement of retinal veins as one of the earliest and sometimes only finding in diabetic retinopathy, found in about 10% to 43% of patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes .…”

Multimodal Imaging Characterization of Arteriolosclerotic Plaques in Retinal Vein Occlusion

“…Arteriolosclerosis has been described as a degenerative process involving the arterioles in eyes with RVO, independently or additively to the underlying hypertensive damage 8. We noticed that eyes with arteriolosclerotic plaques had worse vision and a thinner macula at the last follow-up, with mean values below the normal thickness limits.…”

“…The loss of the intraluminal normal OCT aspect signal may suggest a real change in the arterial blood rheology at the site of plaque formation, with loss of normal bilaminar flow, or a shadow artifact by the walls' increased signal. In keeping with this, clinicopathologic studies have correlated arteriolosclerosis with endothelial proliferation, gliosis and lipid deposition in the arteriolar wall layers, and relative reduction of their lumen 8,18,19. In all previous reports, the authors asserted the arteries were not blocked, even in cases in which the blood column was ophthalmoscopically hidden.…”

“…The reason for underlying arteriolosclerotic plaques, as well as their presence in only a subset of patients with RVO (given the similar demographics and systemic comorbidities in our study cohort), is unknown. The plaques might be secondary to disturbed nutrition of the vessels' walls in the local stagnant environment of RVO 7,8. The increased outflow venous pressure proximally to the vein occlusion and distal to arteriolar flow has been implicated also 17.…”

Arteriolar Involvement in Diabetic Retinopathy

“…The formation of new venous channels in the diabetic retina has also been described by Michaelson and Campbell (1940) and by Ballantyne (1945), but these authors believed that the new pathways resulted from venous congestion or venous block. Such by-passes may possibly develop from venous occlusion, but the majority appear, in our experience, to follow obstruction on -the arterial side.…”