Is the unaffected eye really unaffected? Color Doppler ultrasound findings in unilaterally active central serous chorioretinopathy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate ocular hemodynamic changes using color Doppler ultrasonography imaging (CDI) with an emphasis on unaffected eyes of patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).

METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with active CSC and 25 controls were analyzed using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and CDI for choroidal imaging and evaluation of retrobulbar vessels, respectively.

RESULTS: Resistive index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), and peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the ophthalmic artery (OA) and PSV, end-diastolic velocity (EDV), and mean velocity (Vmean) of the central retinal artery (CRA) in the patient group were less than those in the control group. RI and PI of the CRA were greater in the patient group compared to the control group. RI, PI, PSV, and Vmean of the OA and PSV, EDV, and Vmean of the CRA in the patients' unaffected eyes were less than those in the control group. OCT measurements of central choroidal thickness (CCT) of the affected eyes in the patient group were significantly greater than those of the unaffected eyes in the patient and control groups; that of the unaffected eyes was greater than that in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS: Hemodynamic changes in OA reflect choroidal hyperperfusion. Hemodynamic and OCT changes in the unaffected eyes of the patient group suggest CSC as a bilateral disorder and the systemic nature of the disease. Further investigations may aid in the evaluation of treatment response and the follow-up of disease, providing a new insight into management strategies.