Ocular surface vascular changes after orbital decompression in patients with thyroid ophthalmopathy measured by anterior segment OCT angiography

Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a common ophthalmologic manifestation of thyroid dysfunction. No imaging modality has become popular for the assessment of anterior segment vasculature of patients with TED. We aimed to assess changes in ocular surface circulation after orbital decompression in patients with TED and to explore the modifying factors of its alteration. Ocular surface vascularity features (vessel density (VD), vessel diameter index (VDI), and vessel length density (VLD)) were assessed via anterior segment optical coherence tomography-angiography (AS-OCTA) before and after orbital decompression in addition to ophthalmic examinations. AS-OCTA of the ocular surface vasculature showed that the temporal vasculature measurements decreased significantly 6 weeks after decompression surgery (p value < 0.05), but in the nasal region, the difference did not reach statistical significance. Ocular surface circulation changes after orbital decompression in patients with TED. These changes can significantly affect the control of IOP and ocular surface symptoms. Someone can use AS-OCTA in evaluating the success of the decompression surgery and the need for further treatments.