• Adisa Pilavdžić, Suzana Pavljašević, Amra Nadarević Vodenčarević, Anis Međedović, Meliha Halilbašić, Alma Čičkušić, Nejra Hodžić, Sumeja Terzić, Azra Šmigalović, and Sanela Muhović.
• Eye Clinic, University Clinical Centre Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Med Glas (Zenica). 2024 Feb 1; 21 (1).

AbstractAim To evaluate changes of retinal microcirculation in mild cases of recovered COVID-19 patients at least three months after the infection by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) non-invasive method. Methods In this prospective cross-sectional study, 50 right eyes of 50 recovered COVID-19 patients were compared with 50 right eyes of age and gender-matched healthy controls. After the complete ophthalmological examination, all participants underwent OCTA measurements (RTVue XR Avanti, Optovue, Fremont, CA, USA). Results The time between the initial onset of symptoms, and ophthalmologic examination was 479.20 ±197.10 (126-754) days. Findings of ophthalmic examination of all eyes of the recovered COVID-19 patients were within normal range. Significantly reduced superficial (p=0.046) and deep (p=0.044) macular vessel density (VD) in foveal region in the eyes of the recovered COVID-19 patients was found compared with healthy controls. Significantly enlarged foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area and perimeter in the eyes of the recovered COVID-19 patients (p<0.001) were found too. Conclusion Recovered COVID-19 patients have impaired retinal microcirculation, which can be a cause of the development of retinal vascular diseases.Copyright© by the Medical Assotiation of Zenica-Doboj Canton.

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