{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T02:08:00Z","timestamp":1791857280083,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,24]],"date-time":"2022-05-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1653350400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"NCN","award":["2020\/04\/X\/NZ4\/00440"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020\/04\/X\/NZ4\/00440"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study investigated vascular density and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) parameters using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) in patients with keratoconus (KC). Participants with KC and healthy controls were included and underwent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), keratometry, anterior segment OCT, and macular OCT-A examinations. Of the 70 subjects (mean age 42.9 \u00b1 15.31 years), 79 KC and 47 healthy eyes were included. Significant reductions in the KC group were recorded for the FAZ area, with a mean (\u00b1SD) of 0.19 \u00b1 0.12 vs. 0.25 \u00b1 0.09 mm2\u00a0p &lt; 0.001. Central vascular density in KC patients was lower compared with the controls: 6.78 \u00b1 4.74 vs. 8.44 \u00b1 3.33 mm\u22121\u00a0p = 0.049; the inner density was also decreased in the study group (13.64 \u00b1 5.13 vs. 16.54 \u00b1 2.89 mm\u22121, p = 0.002), along with the outer density (14.71 \u00b1 4.12 vs. 16.88 \u00b1 2.42 mm\u22121, p = 0.004) and full density (14.25 \u00b1 4.30 vs. 16.57 \u00b1 2.48) p = 0.003. Furthermore, BCVA was positively correlated with central vascular density (R = 0.42 p = 0.004, total R = 0.40, p = 0.006) and inner density (R = 0.44, p = 0.002) in patients with KC but not in controls. Additionally, we found a correlation between K2 and inner vascular density (R = \u22120.30, p = 0.043) and central epithelium thickness and outer density (R = 0.03, p = 0.046). KC patients had lower macular vascular density and a smaller FAZ than healthy participants. The BCVA in KC patients was correlated with the vascular density.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm11112960","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,24]],"date-time":"2022-05-24T22:04:06Z","timestamp":1653429846000},"page":"2960","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Assessment of the Retinal Vessels in Keratoconus: An OCT Angiography Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7295-4936","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adam","family":"Wyl\u0119ga\u0142a","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Promotion and Obesity Management Unit, Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-635 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8120-7801","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dominika","family":"Szkodny","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ophthalmology Department, Railway Hospital, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"},{"name":"School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry, Zabrze Medical University of Silesia, 40-055 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1573-9353","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rafa\u0142","family":"Fiolka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ophthalmology Department, Railway Hospital, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"},{"name":"School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry, Zabrze Medical University of Silesia, 40-055 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6707-5790","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edward","family":"Wyl\u0119ga\u0142a","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ophthalmology Department, Railway Hospital, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"},{"name":"School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry, Zabrze Medical University of Silesia, 40-055 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Roszkowska, A.M., and Wylegala, E. 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