Choroidal Vascularity Index and Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness in Rheumatoid Arthritis Assessed with Enhanced-Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT).

Methods: The study included 56 eyes of 56 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 65 eyes of 65 age- and sex-matched healthy normal participants. CVIs of all participants were measured by transferring enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) images to the image J program that is software used for image binarization and compared between the 2 groups. SFCT, central macular thickness (CMT) and optic disc parameters of all participants were measured with spectral domain OCT and compared.

Results: The mean CVI values of the RA and control groups were 65.9 ± 1.52 and 68.56 ± 1.62, respectively, and were significantly lower in the RA group (p = 0.001). Mean SFCT values of the RA and control groups were 290.11 ± 15.18 and 332.88 ± 11.04, respectively, and SFCT was significantly lower in the RA group (p = 0.001). RA patients have thin SFCT and low CVI. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of CMT and optic disc parameters.

Conclusion: RA patients have lower CVI and thinner SFCT than healthy participants.