Retinal Microvascular Changes in Euthyroid Graves’ Disease without Ocular Involvement Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate macular perfusion in asymptomatic Graves' disease using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Materials and Methods: Thirty-three patients with Graves' disease and 38 healthy individuals were included in the study. The superficial (VDs), deep (VDd) and choriocapillary (VDc) vascular densities of the subjects were examined. Foveal avascular zones in the superficial (FAZs) and deep layer (FAZd) with central macular thickness (CMT) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) were evaluated. Results: The mean age of Graves' disease patients was 34.18 ±12.12 years, while the mean age of the healthy control group was 35.56 ±13.7 years. Age and gender distribution between the patients and control groups did not show significant difference (p < 0.05). Central sector value of VDs was significantly found to be increased (p = 0.035). The mean FAZs and FAZd were significantly higher in Graves' disease cases (p = 0.0001; p = 0.001). No significant difference was observed in VDd, VDc and other sectors of the VDs (p > 0.05). While mean CMT was found to be significantly higher in the Graves' disease group than in the control group (p = 0.001), mean SFCT was found to be significantly lower (p = 0.026). Conclusion: Alterations of retinal micro vascularity were observed in euthyroid Graves' disease patients. A significant change in FAZ areas and choroidal thickness shows that the retina may be affected in inactive asymptomatic Graves' disease.