Ocular perfusion pressure and choroidal thickness in eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, wet-age-related macular degeneration, and normals.

PURPOSE: To measure the choroidal thickness and ocular perfusion pressure in eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), wet-age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and age-matched normal subjects, and look for a possible association between the two.

METHODS: This was a prospective study including 22 eyes with PCV, 33 eyes with wet-AMD, and 35 age-matched normal eyes. Choroidal thickness was measured using enhanced depth imaging (EDI) with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT). Mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) was calculated using the mathematical formula 2/3[DBP+1/3{SBP × DBP}]-IOP (DBP-diastolic blood pressure, SBP-systolic blood pressure, IOP-intraocular pressure). Analyses were carried out using SPSS 14 software and comparisons of mean made using't' tests.

RESULTS: Eyes with PCV showed increased (285.9 μm; subfoveal) choroidal thickness, whereas eyes with wet-AMD (119.4 μm; subfoveal) showed reduced choroidal thickness in comparison with normal eyes (186.77 μm; subfoveal). MOPP in the PCV group was 57.85 mm Hg (P value 0.00), in the wet-AMD group was 52.1 mm Hg (P-value 0.12), and in the normal group was 49.79 mm Hg.

CONCLUSION: It is postulated that higher MOPP in eyes with PCV could have an etiologic implication in disease manifestation and progression. Larger studies with longer follow-up may help validate these findings.