Correlations between photoreceptor cell and retinal blood flow parameters in low to moderate myopia by adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy

Abstract Purpose: To study the association between photoreceptor cell and blood flow parameters of low to moderate myopia via novel adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO). Design: A prospective study. Methods: The 158 subjects were divided into three groups according tospherical equivalent. AOSLO was used to quantify the spatial characteristics of photoreceptor cell, including density, spacing, regularity, and dispersion; to measure fundus vascular blood flow, including vessel wall thickness (VW), lumen diameter (LD), vessel diameter (VD), the wall-to-lumen ratio (WLR), the cross-sectional area of the vascular wall (WCSA), and blood flow velocity; and to evaluate the association between cells and blood flow parameters using ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Results: With the increase of diopter, the significant difference of photoreceptor cell spacing increased gradually (P<0.001), and was positively correlated with axial length (AL) and LD, it was negatively correlated with spherical equivalent (SE), cell density and WLR. The differences of LD, VD and WCSA increased with the increase of diopter (P=0.007; P=0.008; P=0.038). There was a positive correlation between LD, AL, VW, VD, WCSA, blood flow velocity and velocity standard deviation. LD, VD and WCSA were negatively correlated with SE. Conclusions: Photoreceptor cell spacing, LD, VD, and WCSA exhibited positive correlations with AL, while displaying negative correlations with SE. Cell spacing demonstrated a negative correlation with cell density. There was significant positive correlation between LD, VD, VW and WCSA, and they were positively correlated with blood flow velocity; whereas VD and WCSA were significantly positively with gender. The findings may help to understand the occurrence and development mechanism of myopia, and have potential value in clinical assessment of pathological changes in myopic retinopathy.