Sriwijaya Journal of Ophthalmology
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2025): Sriwijaya Journal of Ophthalmology

Retinal Microvascular Changes on OCT-Angiography in Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease: A Prospective Indonesian Cohort Study

Taufiq Indera Jayadi (Department of Radiology, Phlox Institute, Palembang, Indonesia)
Eva Naritawati (Department of Radiology, Phlox Institute, Palembang, Indonesia)
Akmal Hasan (Department of Neurology, Phlox Institute, Palembang, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
15 Jun 2026

Abstract

Introduction: Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) involves cerebral amyloid deposition in cognitively normal individuals 15–20 years before symptom onset. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) may detect early retinal microvascular changes reflecting cerebral pathology. This study evaluated OCT-A parameters as biomarkers for preclinical AD in Indonesian elderly. Methods: This prospective cohort enrolled 180 cognitively normal participants aged ≥60 years (90 preclinical AD with amyloid-PET positivity, 90 controls) at two private hospital ophthalmology clinics in Palembang and Jakarta, Indonesia (January 2022–June 2024). OCT-A (RTVue XR Avanti) measured superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) vessel density, foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, and perfusion density. SD-OCT assessed RNFL and GCL-IPL thickness. The unit of analysis was the individual eye (342 eyes after quality exclusion). Results: SCP vessel density was significantly reduced in preclinical AD (43.2 ± 3.1% vs 47.8 ± 2.9%; Bonferroni-adjusted p < 0.001; Cohen’s d = 1.53). FAZ area was enlarged (0.38 ± 0.08 vs 0.31 ± 0.06 mm²; p < 0.001). The combined model (SCP + FAZ + GCL-IPL) achieved a bootstrap-validated AUC of 0.898 (95% CI: 0.859–0.937). SCP vessel density was the strongest predictor (OR 0.72; 95% CI: 0.63–0.82; p < 0.001). Conclusion: OCT-A parameters, particularly SCP vessel density, demonstrated strong discriminative ability for preclinical AD. These findings support OCT-A as a potential non-invasive screening biomarker, warranting validation in community-based populations.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

sjo

Publisher

Subject

Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology Health Professions Medicine & Pharmacology

Description

Sriwijaya Journal of Opthalmology (SJO) is a peer-reviewed, scientific publication that welcomes the submission of original, previously unpublished manuscripts directed to ophthalmologists and visual science specialists describing clinical investigations, clinical observations, and clinically ...