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Abstract Background To assess age- and sex-related changes in the superficial retinal capillary plexus (SCP) and deep retinal capillary plexus (DCP) in healthy Chinese adults. Methods In this cross-sectional study, all data were derived from the community-based Jidong Eye Cohort Study. Participants underwent optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and other ocular and systemic examinations. The vessel densities of the whole measured area, parafovea, and four quadrants in the SCP and DCP were measured. Results We recruited 1036 eyes of 1036 healthy participants; the mean age was 40.4 ± 9.8 years, and 449 (43.3%) participants were males. The SCP and DCP vessel densities in all regions, except for temporal and nasal regions in the SCP, non-linearly decreased with age. The DCP vessel densities began to decrease at approximately 35 years of age, while the SCP vessel densities began to decrease at approximately 40 years of age. The DCP vessel densities decreased more rapidly than the SCP vessel densities at 35–50 years of age. The DCP vessel densities remained stable or slightly decreased after the age of 50 years in females, while those decreased linearly in most regions in males. Conclusions The retinal vessel density decreased earlier and more rapidly in the DCP than in the SCP, and the effect of aging on the DCP vessel density was sex-dependent. Our findings suggest that age and sex should be considered when interpreting clinical quantitative OCTA data.

Purpose: Self-reported snoring has been reported to influence nerves and vessels. However, there are few direct evidences of snoring related to nerves and microvessels defects. Therefore, we evaluated the association of self-reported snoring with retinal structure and microcirculation.Methods: A total of 2,622 participants were recruited from the Jidong eye cohort study (JECS). Physical examinations, laboratory tests, and questionnaires were recorded. We also used optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to assess the retinal structure and microvascular network. Snoring was defined as “never,” “occasionally,” and “frequently or more severe” according to self-reported frequency.Results: The prevalence of snoring were 84.6% (n = 983) and 45.0% (n = 657) in males and females, respectively. Compared with never snoring group, the retinal thickness increased in “occasionally” (p < 0.001) and “frequently or more severe” groups (p = 0.001), while no difference was found between snoring groups (p = 0.14). Superficial retinal capillary plexus (RCP) vessel density was lower in “frequently or more severe” group than in “never” (p < 0.001) and “occasionally” snoring groups (p < 0.001). After adjusting for confounders, “frequently or more severe” snoring was significantly associated with thinner total retinal thickness [β = −2.79 (95% CI: −5.27, −0.30)] and lower superficial RCP vessel density [β = −0.71 (95% CI: −1.19, −0.23)].Conclusion: Our research showed self-reported snoring was associated with thinner retinal thickness and lower superficial RCP vessel density. The findings of our study emphasize the need for self-reported snoring assessments in determining retinal structure and microcirculation impairment.

BackgroundTo determine the association of the retinal capillary plexus (RCP) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) with cognitive impairment using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).MethodsA cross-sectional, community-based study utilizing data from the participants enrolled between August 2019 and January 2020 in the Jidong Eye Cohort Study. We assessed the vessel density in RCP and GCC thickness using OCTA, and cognitive testing using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Cognitive impairment in this study was defined as MoCA score < 24. We used multivariable analysis to evaluate the association of RCP and GCC with cognitive impairment after adjusting for confounders.ResultsThis study analyzed 1555 participants. The mean age of participants was 52.3 (8.4) years, and 861 (55.4%) were women. Cognitive impairment was observed in 268 (17.2%) participants. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for parafovea vessel density in the deep RCP with cognitive impairment was 1.20 (1.03–1.39). For vessel area and length density surrounding foveal avascular zone with cognitive impairment, the ORs with 95% CIs were 1.23 (1.07–1.41) and 1.30 (1.13–1.49), respectively. For thickness in the superior GCC with cognitive impairment, the OR with 95% CI was 1.16 (1.01–1.32).ConclusionLower vessel density in the RCP and thinner GCC were associated with cognitive impairment. Our results suggest that alterations in the RCP and GCC could provide further evidence when assessing the cognitive function and may even be potentially useful biomarkers in the detection of cognitive impairment.

BackgroundTo determine the association between serum uric acid (SUA) and the retinal capillary plexus (RCP) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).MethodsThis cross-sectional study evaluated data from August 2019 to January 2020 from participants recruited from the Jidong community (Tangshan, Hebei, China). All participants completed detailed anthropometrical measurements, laboratory tests and comprehensive ophthalmic examinations. We assessed the vessel density in RCP using OCTA. We used multivariable analysis to evaluate the sex-specific association between SUA and RCP after adjusting for confounders.ResultsA total of 2730 participants were included in this study. The mean age of the participants was 44.0 ± 11.6 years, and 1463 (53.6%) were women. The multivariable βs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of superficial RCP vessel density in the second through fourth SUA quartiles compared with the lowest SUA quartiles were -0.27 (-0.56 – 0.03), -0.30 (-0.60 – 0.01), and -0.46 (-0.78 – -0.14) (P for trend = 0.007) in men.ConclusionsHigher SUA levels were significantly associated with lower RCP vessel density in men. Our findings provide evidence for the detrimental effect of high SUA levels on the retinal microvasculature and imply the importance of modulating SUA to prevent the microvascular alternation especially for men.