J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2023 Jun;64(6):507-513. 10.3341/jkos.2023.64.6.507.

A Study of Retinal and Choroidal Vessel Changes in Chronic Alcoholics

• Kim, I
• Lee SW
• Lee HL
• Ra H
• Baek J

• KMID: 2542871
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2023.64.6.507

Abstract

Purpose
To compare the retinal and choroidal vessels of chronic alcoholics with non-alcoholics.
Methods
This study included alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) patients admitted between December 2020 and October 2021, along with age-matched controls. Retinal and choroidal vessel densities, measured using image binarization at the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), choriocapillaris, and choroidal layers, were compared between ALD patients and controls. Correlations between clinical parameters and vessel densities in ALD patients were also analyzed.
Results
Vessel densities at SCP, DCP, choriocapillaris, and choroidal layers were not significantly different between controls and ALD patients (p = 0.496, 0.988, 0.909, and 0.317, respectively). Platelet time and international normalized ratio (INR) were positively correlated with SCP density in ALD patients (r = 0.393 and 0.393; p = 0.015 and 0.015, respectively).
Conclusions
ALD does not significantly affect vessel densities in the retina and choroid. The positive correlations of platelet time and INR with SCP may be related to vessel dilatation, but they require further investigation.

Keyword

Alcoholic liver diseases, Choroidal disease, Optical coherence tomography angiography, Retinal vessels