Peripheral and central retinal vascular changes in asymptomatic family members of patients with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy.

Purpose: To evaluate the peripheral vascular changes and effects of these on macular microvasculature in asymptomatic family members of familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) patients.
Methods: This is a retrospective study including 61 eyes of asymptomatic family members of FEVR patients. Retinal abnormalities were assessed via ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography (UWF-FA) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). The eyes were grouped into 3: the first group comprised of eyes with normal findings on UWF-FA; the second group comprised of eyes with abnormal findings on UWF-FA but without any retinal ischemia; and the third group involved eyes with retinal ischemia or neovascularization.
Results: Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 in all eyes. Forty eyes (65.6%) had abnormalities on UWF-FA. The most common feature was peripheral vascular looping, increased tortuosity, and anastomosis (63.9%). ODM/ODD ratio was higher in group 3 compared to groups 1 and 2. Deep foveal VD was lower in group 1 compared to groups 2 and 3. The mean FAZ area and perimeter were smaller in groups 2 and 3 compared to group 1.
Conclusion: Even asymptomatic family members of FEVR patients may have significant peripheral retinal vascular abnormalities which may be associated with smaller optic disc, macular ectopia, and macular microvascular changes.
(© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)