Title: Macular Thickness and Volume Assessed by Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Case-Control Study
Abstract: Abstract Purpose : To quantify the retinal thickness and volume using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) analysis in the macular region of patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods : In a comparative cross-sectional, observational study, patients recovered from COVID-19 were included. All included subjects had a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) - confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. Macular SD-OCT was performed at least two weeks after recovery from systemic COVID-19. Inner, outer and full retinal thicknesses and volumes were measured in COVID-19 recovered patients versus age-matched normal controls. Results : Twenty-five patients (11 male) with a mean age of 36.4 ± 11 years and 60 healthy controls (31 males) with a mean age of 39.3 ± 7.7 years were enrolled in the study. There was no statistically significant difference in the retinal thickness or volume measures between the two groups. However, the thickness in the case group was minimally more than the controls. Conclusion : Retinal thickness in COVID-19 patients may be higher than healthy subjects. Comprehensive ocular examination with special focus on posterior segment manifestations should be considered in these patients.