Lamina cribrosa perfusion density is reduced in eyes with central retinal vein occlusion

Purpose: Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) etiology remains still not fully understood. This study explores in-vivo lamina cribrosa structural and vascular changes in eyes with CRVO through OCT and OCT-Angiography. Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional study of 37 eyes of 37 patients with CRVO. Lamina cribrosa thickness, curvature depth (CD) and curvature index (CI) were quantified at structural OCT. Lamina cribrosa perfusion density (PD) was quantified at en-face OCTA. Healthy fellow eyes were included as control group. Results: Thirty-seven CRVO eyes and 37 control fellow eyes were included in the study. Patient’s mean age was 57 ± 16 years. BCVA in the study group was 0.46 ± 0.39 LogMAR. Intraocular pressure (IOP) did not show any significant different distribution among study and control group (14.7 ± 3.1 mmHg vs 15.1 ± 2.9 mmHg, p = 0.591). Study and control groups did not show any statistically significant difference in thickness (258 ± 75 μm vs 272 ± 73 μm, p = 0.208) and depth (463 ± 111 μm vs 464 ± 144 μm, p = 0.955). The CI and CD were higher in CRVO eyes, compared to fellow eyes (11.47 ± 3.60 vs 9.79 ± 3.99, p = 0.058; 170 ± 45 μm vs 150 ± 58 μm, p = 0.084, respectively), while PD was significantly decreased (46.13 ± 19.21% vs 63.78 ± 22.58%, p < 0.001). PD did not exhibit any significant association with thickness (r = 0.12, p = 0.552), CD (r = -0.07, p = 0.605), CI (r = -0.12, p = 0.340) and IOP (r = 0.19, p = 0.192–9. Conclusions: In vivo assessment of lamina cribrosa depicted peculiar structural and vascular changes occurring after onset of CRVO. Structural changes in the curvature may imply a stiffer and more compressed microarchitecture of the lamina itself, justifying lower intrinsic perfusion metrics.