Optical coherence tomography angiography evaluation of retinal and optic disc alterations in children with type 1 diabetes without retinopathy.

Purpose: To determine the earliest characteristics of retinal and optic disc alterations in diabetic children without diabetic retinopathy (DR) changes by using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Settings and design: This was a prospective, non-interventional case-control study that involved 25 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) without clinical signs of DR and a demographically similar group of 25 healthy children as the control.

Methods: The retina and optic disc were examined using OCTA.

Statistical analysis used: Correlations between the OCTA parameters and clinical predictors were evaluated.

Results: Twenty-five patients (median age: 14 years, interquartile range [IQR]: 13-15.9 years; 12/25 [48%] girls) with T1DM and 25 age-matched controls were enrolled. The patients had a tendency toward thinner fovea (232.5 µm) as compared to the controls (244.3 µm) ( P = 0.142). Superficial vascular density was significantly lower in the DM group compared to the controls (48.90 ± 2.3 vs. 50.91 ± 3.1, P = 0.015). However, no such differences were observed at deeper vascular densities. The patients also had lower whole-disc (48.65 vs. 50.21, P = 0.029), disc interior (49.14 vs. 52.11, P = 0.044), superior (50.67 vs. 53.45, P = 0.039), and peripapillary capillary densities (50.49 vs. 52.68, P = 0.033). There was no statistical correlation between retinal/optic disc angiography parameters and clinical predictors.

Conclusion: In diabetic children without visual impairment or DR, signs of microvasculopathy were found in the superficial macular vascular density and inside the disc.