Early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic patients with myopia

PurposeTo evaluate and quantify diabetes-related retinal and choroid perfusion changes in individuals with and without high myopia and explore their associations with diabetes risk factors.MethodsDiabetic patients [n = 133; 43 without diabetic retinopathy in group DM; 48 non-proliferative diabetic r...

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Main Authors: Yufei Wu, Jiahui Jiang, Xiaoyu Deng, Xixi Zhang, Jinger Lu, Zian Xu, Yitian Zhao, Zai-Long Chi, Qinkang Lu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2025.1609928/full
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author Yufei Wu
Yufei Wu
Jiahui Jiang
Xiaoyu Deng
Xixi Zhang
Jinger Lu
Zian Xu
Yitian Zhao
Zai-Long Chi
Zai-Long Chi
Qinkang Lu
Qinkang Lu
author_facet Yufei Wu
Yufei Wu
Jiahui Jiang
Xiaoyu Deng
Xixi Zhang
Jinger Lu
Zian Xu
Yitian Zhao
Zai-Long Chi
Zai-Long Chi
Qinkang Lu
Qinkang Lu
author_sort Yufei Wu
collection DOAJ
description PurposeTo evaluate and quantify diabetes-related retinal and choroid perfusion changes in individuals with and without high myopia and explore their associations with diabetes risk factors.MethodsDiabetic patients [n = 133; 43 without diabetic retinopathy in group DM; 48 non-proliferative diabetic retinopathies in group DR; 42 without DR but with high myopia in group HM] underwent ophthalmological and endocrinological examinations. Swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) was used to image the retinal vessel density (RVD), retinal thickness (RT), choroidal thickness (CT), choriocapillaris vessel perfusion (CPV) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI). Automatic segmentation of retinal and choroidal layers was performed using a deep learning-based U-Net architecture. A ResNet-50 convolutional neural network was further applied to analyze vascular density patterns and assist in DR grading. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses explored the associations between perfusion and risk factors.ResultsThe inner ring retinal vessel density and CVI in all areas were significantly different between groups (P < 0.05); CPV was not significantly changed except for the inferotemporal area among the groups. CT was decreased in all areas between groups (P < 0.05). The visual impairments in HM group was more obvious correlation with the retinal and choroidal structural changes. The AI-driven analysis revealed that decreased CVI and CT were significantly associated with age and spherical equivalent (SE), highlighting the utility of automated algorithms in identifying early microvascular impairments.ConclusionDiabetic patients with high myopia exhibited significantly lower CVI compared to those with diabetic retinopathy, indicating that CVI monitoring could facilitate risk stratification of diabetic retinopathy progression. The integration of SS-OCTA with artificial intelligence-enhanced segmentation and vascular analysis provides a refined method for early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic populations.
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spelling doaj-art-d0e864200c8f4440a8f7687f2a16f97e2025-08-20T01:57:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology2296-634X2025-05-011310.3389/fcell.2025.16099281609928Early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic patients with myopiaYufei Wu0Yufei Wu1Jiahui Jiang2Xiaoyu Deng3Xixi Zhang4Jinger Lu5Zian Xu6Yitian Zhao7Zai-Long Chi8Zai-Long Chi9Qinkang Lu10Qinkang Lu11Ophthalmology Center, The Affiliated Peoples Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaOphthalmology Center, The Affiliated Peoples Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaOphthalmology Center, The Affiliated Peoples Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaLaboratory of Advanced Theranostic Materials and Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, ChinaOphthalmology Center, The Affiliated Peoples Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaOphthalmology Center, The Affiliated Peoples Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaPurposeTo evaluate and quantify diabetes-related retinal and choroid perfusion changes in individuals with and without high myopia and explore their associations with diabetes risk factors.MethodsDiabetic patients [n = 133; 43 without diabetic retinopathy in group DM; 48 non-proliferative diabetic retinopathies in group DR; 42 without DR but with high myopia in group HM] underwent ophthalmological and endocrinological examinations. Swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) was used to image the retinal vessel density (RVD), retinal thickness (RT), choroidal thickness (CT), choriocapillaris vessel perfusion (CPV) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI). Automatic segmentation of retinal and choroidal layers was performed using a deep learning-based U-Net architecture. A ResNet-50 convolutional neural network was further applied to analyze vascular density patterns and assist in DR grading. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses explored the associations between perfusion and risk factors.ResultsThe inner ring retinal vessel density and CVI in all areas were significantly different between groups (P < 0.05); CPV was not significantly changed except for the inferotemporal area among the groups. CT was decreased in all areas between groups (P < 0.05). The visual impairments in HM group was more obvious correlation with the retinal and choroidal structural changes. The AI-driven analysis revealed that decreased CVI and CT were significantly associated with age and spherical equivalent (SE), highlighting the utility of automated algorithms in identifying early microvascular impairments.ConclusionDiabetic patients with high myopia exhibited significantly lower CVI compared to those with diabetic retinopathy, indicating that CVI monitoring could facilitate risk stratification of diabetic retinopathy progression. The integration of SS-OCTA with artificial intelligence-enhanced segmentation and vascular analysis provides a refined method for early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic populations.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2025.1609928/fullretinachoroidmicrovasculatureoptical coherence tomography angiographydiabetesmyopia
spellingShingle Yufei Wu
Yufei Wu
Jiahui Jiang
Xiaoyu Deng
Xixi Zhang
Jinger Lu
Zian Xu
Yitian Zhao
Zai-Long Chi
Zai-Long Chi
Qinkang Lu
Qinkang Lu
Early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic patients with myopia
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
retina
choroid
microvasculature
optical coherence tomography angiography
diabetes
myopia
title Early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic patients with myopia
title_full Early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic patients with myopia
title_fullStr Early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic patients with myopia
title_full_unstemmed Early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic patients with myopia
title_short Early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic patients with myopia
title_sort early detection of retinal and choroidal microvascular impairments in diabetic patients with myopia
topic retina
choroid
microvasculature
optical coherence tomography angiography
diabetes
myopia
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2025.1609928/full
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