Comparison of Choroidal Vascularity Index in Patients with Pseudoexfoliation Glaucoma, Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome, and Healthy Controls

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Purpose To compare peripapillary choroidal vascularity index (CVI) parameters in pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PEG), pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome, and healthy controls.Methods A total of 240 eyes of 240 patients were included in this cross-sectional prospective study, and the three groups consisted of (i) 80 eyes of 80 patients with PEG, (ii) 80 eyes of 80 patients with PEX syndrome, and (iii) 80 healthy control eyes. Peripapillary enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography images were binarized via standard protocols with the ImageJ software. CVI was analyzed in all sectors of the peripapillary region.Results Peripapillary CVI was found to be significantly lower in the PEG group (61.6 ± 2.32) compared with the PEX group (64.7 ± 3.15) and the control group (67.5 ± 2.44) (p < .001), and patients with PEX also had significantly lower values compared to controls (p < .001). Peripapillary CVI values were significantly lower in the temporal, nasal, superotemporal, superonasal, inferotemporal and inferonasal sectors of the PEG group compared to both the PEX group and controls (p < .001). Peripapillary CVI was also found to be lower in all sectors in the PEX group compared to controls (p < .001). Global peripapillary choroidal thickness was significantly thinner in the PEG group than the PEX and control groups (133.37 ± 39.16, 154.36 ± 33.28 and 157.82 ± 36.77 μm, respectively, p < .001).Conclusions In the current study, it was shown that the presence of PEX caused a decrease in CVI value and this decrease was highest in patients with PEG. CVI may be a useful parameter to show vascular dysfunction in PEG and PEX syndrome.