Figure 3: Retinal capillary density as a function of normalized depth and structural optical coherence tomography layers.

Depth-resolved capillary density profiles are measured in representative areas (Fig. 2) in 4 anatomic regions. Population average and standard deviation capillary density measurements from the 9 normal human participants are shown. In all regions, a capillary density peak in GCL corresponds to superficial vascular plexus. In the peripapillary region, a peak within NFL corresponds to the radial peripapillary capillary plexus. In all regions except peripherally, a peak at inner border of INL corresponds to the intermediate capillary plexus (ICP) and a peak at outer border of INL corresponds to the deep capillary plexus (DCP). Peripherally, the ICP and DCP coalesce into one peak. The x dimension depth scale (corresponding to the z scale in Fig. 2) represents normalized depth with each labeled OCT structural layer normalized to the reference subject (shown in Fig. 2), minimizing the variability in this dimension but maintaining the anatomic relationship with structural OCT layers. (OCT = optical coherence tomography, NFL = nerve fiber layer, GCL = ganglion cell layer, IPL = inner plexiform layer, GCC = ganglion cell complex, INL = inner nuclear layer, OPL = outer plexiform layer plus Henle’s fiber layer, ONL = outer nuclear layer).