Investigation of optic disc and retina structures in patients with schizophrenia

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to compare the retinal thicknesses, the vascular density values optic disc and retina of patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Material and Methods:The study included 48 patients with schizophrenia and 50 healthy controls of similar age and gender without any psychiatric disease or comorbidities.The OCTA scans of the patient and control groups were examined. Results:In the schizophrenia group, the total, parafoveal, and perifoveal density values of the deep capillary plexus (DCP), optic disc total vascular density, peripapillary vascular density, subfoveal choroidal thickness, total retina parafovea thickness, total retina perifovea thickness, and outer retina perifovea thickness were statistically significantly lower (p<0.0001,p<0.0001, p<0.0001, p=0.01, p=0.04, p<0.0001, p=0.01, p=0.03, and p=0.04, respectively), while the foveal vascular density of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) was statistically significantly higher (p=0.006)compared to the control group. Conclusion:This study is the first study to find statistically significant differences between schizophrenia patients and the healthy controls in 5 different areas such as SCP vascular density, DCP vascular density, optic disc vascular density, retinal thickness and subfoveal choroidal thickness.The lower retinal and optic disc vascular density, retinal thickness and subfoveal choroidal thickness of patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls can be attributed to vascular damage.It is considered that inflammation, neurooxidative stress, and neurodegenerative changes play a role in the development of vascular damage.