Photo Credit: Dani VG
The following is a summary of “In vivo cone-photoreceptor density comparison between eyes with subretinal drusenoid deposits and healthy eyes using high magnification imaging,” published in the February 2024 issue of Ophthalmology by Ghazi et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the automated quantification of photoreceptor density using Heidelberg Spectralis High Magnification Module (HMM) imaging, comparing eyes with subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDD) and healthy controls.
They included twelve eyes of six patients diagnosed with intermediate AMD exhibiting SDD, along with twelve eyes from healthy controls. Infrared confocal laser ophthalmoscopy, Heidelberg Spectralis HMM, and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were employed to examine individual SDD within the central 30° of the retina. Photoreceptor density analysis was conducted on the highest quality image utilizing the ImageJ Foci Picker plugin, following SDD removal from the HMM image. Correlations were explored between HMM-quantified photoreceptor density, SD-OCT features, AMD stage, and SDD count.
The results showed that the mean age in the SDD group was 75.17 ± 2.51 years (3 males, 3 females), compared to 73.17 ± 3.15 years in the healthy control group (P=0.2). 8/12 eyes (66.66%) exhibited defects in the overlying ellipsoid zone on SD-OCT. In the SDD group, the mean ± standard deviation of detected foci (i.e., cone photoreceptors) was 7123.75 ± 3683.32 foci/mm2, whereas in the healthy control group, it was 13,253 ± 3331.00 foci/mm2 (P=0.0003). A correlation was observed between the number of SDD and a reduction in foci density (P=0.0055, r = − 0.7622).
Investigators concluded that SDD-associated cone loss in intermediate AMD eyes might independently weaken retinal function.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10792-024-03023-x
