{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T23:32:58Z","timestamp":1783467178735,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,27]],"date-time":"2023-03-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1679875200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004569","name":"Ministry of Education and Science called \u201cRegional Initiative of Excellence\u201d","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["024\/RID\/2018\/19"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["024\/RID\/2018\/19"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004569","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The purpose of this study was to evaluate the persistent changes in microvascular parameters based on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 bilateral pneumonia. The case-control prospective study was carried out among 49 patients with COVID-19 and 45 healthy age- and gender-matched 2 and 8 months after hospital discharge. We found a significantly decreased vessel density (VD) in superficial capillary plexus (SCP) in COVID-19 patients. Significantly decreased vessel density (VD) in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), the deep capillary plexus (DCP), and choriocapillaris (CC), with significantly increased vessel density observed in the choriocapillaris in the foveal area (FCC). The foveal avascular zone in DCP (FAZd) was significantly increased in the COVID-19 group. We found differences between OCTA parameters according to gender. The foveal VD in SCP and DCP was significantly decreased in women compared to men. The FAZ area in SCP (FAZs) and superior VD in the choriocapillaris (SCC) were significantly increased in women. In conclusion, we noticed persistent changes in the ocular parameters of OCTA in COVID-19 patients. At the second follow-up visit, we observed a widened FAZ zone in SCP and decreased VD in some regions of the retina and choroid.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12072528","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,28]],"date-time":"2023-03-28T01:41:34Z","timestamp":1679967694000},"page":"2528","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Long-Term Effect of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on the Retinal and Choroidal Microvasculature"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Magdalena","family":"Kal","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce, 25-369 Kielce, Poland"},{"name":"Ophthalmic Clinic, The Voivodeship Hospital, 25-736 Kielce, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9704-3848","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mateusz","family":"Winiarczyk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Vitreoretinal Surgery, Medical University of Lublin, 20-059 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0938-1084","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dorota","family":"Zar\u0119bska-Michaluk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce, 25-369 Kielce, Poland"},{"name":"Department of Infectious Disease, Provincial Hospital in Kielce, 25-736 Kielce, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dominik","family":"Odrobina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ophthalmic Clinic, The Voivodeship Hospital, 25-736 Kielce, Poland"},{"name":"Institute of Medical Science, Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce, 25-369 Kielce, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6090-9900","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"El\u017cbieta","family":"Cie\u015bla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical Science, Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce, 25-369 Kielce, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0289-7168","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bernadetta","family":"P\u0142atkowska-Adamska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce, 25-369 Kielce, Poland"},{"name":"Ophthalmic Clinic, The Voivodeship Hospital, 25-736 Kielce, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Micha\u0142","family":"Biskup","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ophthalmic Clinic, The Voivodeship Hospital, 25-736 Kielce, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pawe\u0142","family":"Pabjan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Disease, Provincial Hospital in Kielce, 25-736 Kielce, Poland"},{"name":"Institute of Medical Science, Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce, 25-369 Kielce, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7752-0459","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stanis\u0142aw","family":"G\u0142uszek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce, 25-369 Kielce, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jerzy","family":"Mackiewicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Vitreoretinal Surgery, Medical University of Lublin, 20-059 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"194","DOI":"10.1038\/s41569-020-00469-1","article-title":"Thrombocytopathy and endotheliopathy: Crucial contributors to COVID-19 thromboinflammation","volume":"18","author":"Gu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat. 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