Optical coherence tomography angiography in amblyopia: A critical update on current understandings and future perspectives

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive tool to assess the retino-choroidal vasculature in vivo. It tracks the red blood cell movement and maps the vasculature in quick succession. In routine, diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration, central serous chorioretinopathy, and others are commonly being studied to unveil its clinic role. On the other hand, amblyopia is a condition where the visual acuity is subnormal due to non-organic causes in the eye. But the OCTA studies till now have shown variable changes along retino-choroidal vasculature. Hence, to comprehend the existing literature knowledge, a systematic literature search was carried out and the original works describing novel findings in amblyopic eyes on OCTA were included. Upon detailed assessment, firstly, the disturbed vasculature along superficial retinal plexus, deeper retinal plexus, and choroidal plexus were evident in most untreated amblyopic eyes. However, such changes were not uniform, which is due to noted heterogenic patient profile, small sample size, biometric biases, non-uniform algorithms, and other factors. And to note, even in presence of such diverse changes, almost all the authors stated a plausible explanation for their notable changes. Secondly, the utility of OCTA in identifying vascular changes with standard treatments and segregation of visual beneficiaries from non-beneficiaries were possible. Hence, to conclude, OCTA is a valuable tool which can provide valuable useful insights into the amblyopic eyes during pre and post treatment periods. However, to gather more concrete evidence for clinical benefits, systematic, homogenous, and better structured clinical studies are mandated.