Foveal Avascular Zone Size and Severity of Diabetic Retinopathy

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area. Methods: En face OCTA (AngioVue, Avanti OCT; Optovue) images were obtained in age and sex matched eyes at different stages of DR. superficial FAZ size was measured manually by two independent graders and the mean was used for subsequent analysis. Results: : Thirty-three eyes with Non Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR), 19 eyes with Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR) and 23 eyes with Regressed DR were included. The mean superficial FAZ area was 0.39±0.16 mm2, 0.51±0.15 mm2 and 0.54±0.16 mm2 in eyes with NPDR, PDR and Regressed PDR,respectively. One-way ANOVA revealed superficial FAZ size was significantly associated with stages of DR (P=0.003). Post hoc analysis using scheffe test showed FAZ size was significantly smaller in eyes with NPDR than eyes with PDR and Regressed PDR (P=0.046 and P= 0.005, respectively). Conclusion: superficial FAZ size was associated with severity of DR and was smaller in eyes with NPDR