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Correlation of retino-choroidal thickness and vascular metrics with drusen volume as a severity marker of age-related macular degeneration

Eye volume 39, pages 2231–2237 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Purpose

To assess retinal vascular perfusion and choroidal vascularity biomarkers correlated with drusen volume and severity of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods

Patients underwent swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) (PlexElite-9000). Eyes with geographic atrophy or neovascular AMD were excluded. Retinal thickness, retinal perfusion including superficial (SCP) and deep capillary plexuses (DCP), foveal avascular zone (FAZ), drusen volume, choroidal thickness (ChT) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) were assessed through the Advanced Research and Innovation Network. Linear mixed model and Spearman test were used for statistical analysis.

Results

We assessed 81 eyes from 57 subjects (34 early-stage, 47 intermediate-stage AMD). The mean age was 74.95 ± 8.79 years. The mean LogMar visual acuity (VA) was 0.16 ± 0.18 (early-stage: 0.12 ± 0.17, intermediate-stage: 0.19 ± 0.18, P = 0.122). Between early and intermediate AMD, no significant differences were seen in SCP and DCP vascular perfusion (P = 0.368, 0.859, respectively), FAZ (p = 0.836) and retinal thickness within the 6-mm area (P = 0.680). Drusen volume showed a significant difference (early-stage: 0.0706 ± 0.1272, intermediate-stage: 0.2102 ± 0.2211mm3, P < 0.01). Intermediate-stage AMD had significantly lower mean ChT (266.40 ± 115.55 vs. 204.97 ± 70.69 µm, P = 0.038) and CVI (0.605 ± 0.021 vs. 0.591 ± 0.015, P = 0.004) within the 5-mm area. Drusen volume was negatively correlated with ChT (r = −0.198, P = 0.017) and CVI (r = −0.209, P = 0.029). No significant correlation was found between drusen volume and VA (r = 0.051, P = 0.143), retinal thickness (−0.03, P = 0.393), FAZ (r = −0.023, P = 0.150), SCP (r = −0.011, P = 0.307), and DCP (r = −0.022, P = 0.190).

Conclusion

Drusen volume, a key AMD severity marker, correlates more strongly with choroidal parameters like ChT and CVI than retinal thickness and perfusion. It may serve as a biomarker for dry AMD severity, with choroidal biomarkers showing earlier disease changes.

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Fig. 1: Advanced research and innovation (ARI) network algorithms in an eye with early-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Fig. 2: Advanced research and innovation (ARI) network algorithms in an eye with intermediate-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Fig. 3

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

NIH CORE Grant P30 EY08098 supported this work to the Department of Ophthalmology, the Eye and Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh, and from an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, NY.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Elham Sadeghi, Anne Schulman, Nasiq Hasan, Sandeep Chandra Bollepalli, Kiran Kumar Vupparaboina, Jose Alain Sahel, Andrew W. Eller & Jay Chhablani

  2. Wichita State University, School of Computing, Wichita, KS, USA

    Sharat Chandra Vupparaboina

  3. Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, CoE Mastichak, Saran, Bihar, India

    Sumit Randhir Singh

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  1. Elham Sadeghi
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Contributions

ES: conceptualization, data gathering, data analysis, drafting, revision, final approval. AS: data gathering, final approval. SCV: data analysis, final approval. SRS: revision, final approval. NH: revision, final approval. SCB: revision, final approval. KKV: revision, final approval. JAS: revision, final approval. AWE: revision, final approval. JC: conceptualization, data preparation, revision, final approval.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jay Chhablani.

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Competing interests

JAS: Avista Therapeutics, Tenpoint, Code C (Consultant/Contractor), Clinical Trials: Gensight, SparingVision, Meira, Code F (Financial Support), Netramind Innovations, Gensight, Sparing Vision, Avista, Tenpoint, Prophesee, Chronolife, Tilak Healthcare, SharpEye, Cilensee, Vegavect, Code O (Owner), Allotopic Expression, Rod-derived Cone Viability Factor and related patents., Code P (Patent), Patent Royalties, Gensight, Code R (Recipient), Observer: Gensight, SparingVision, Avista, Vegavect. President: Fondation Voir et Entendre, Paris; President: StreetLab, Paris., Code S (non-remunerative); JC: Netramind Innovations, Code O (Owner). KKV: Netramind Innovations, Code O (Owner). SCB: Netramind Innovations, Code O (Owner).

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Sadeghi, E., Schulman, A., Vupparaboina, S.C. et al. Correlation of retino-choroidal thickness and vascular metrics with drusen volume as a severity marker of age-related macular degeneration. Eye 39, 2231–2237 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-025-03847-6

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