Exogenous testosterone therapy on choroid in androgen deficiency

AIM:To investigate the effects of exogenous testosterone treatment on the choroidal parameters in patients with androgen deficiency.METHODS:Right eyes of 24 patients with androgen deficiency and 31 healthy volunteers were included in the study.The eyes were scanned for subfoveal choroidal thickness(SFCT),choroidal vascularity index(CVI),choroidstromal area(C-SA),choroid-luminal area(C-LA),choroidstromal to luminal area ratio(CSLR),and the choroidal parameters within central 1500μm of the macula(CVI1500,C-LA1500,C-SA1500,and CSLR1500)by enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography(EDI-OCT)at baseline,6th and 18th weeks of the exogenous testosterone treatment.RESULTS:The mean SFCT values of the androgen deficient groups and healthy controls were 307.7±27.0 and 303.2±37.2μm(P=0.8).However,CVI,C-SA,CSLR,CVI1500,C-LA1500,and CSLR1500 were significantly different between the groups(all P<0.01).At the 6th week visit after exogenous testosterone treatment,SFCT,CVI,C-LA,and C-SA were significantly decreased,and these parameters returned to baseline levels at the 18th-week visit(all P>0.05).However,CVI1500 and LA1500 significantly increased at the end of the follow-up period(P<0.001).CONCLUSION:CVI is lower in androgen-deficient patients than in healthy subjects.The alterations in the choroid during the testosterone peak are transient in the treatment of patients with androgen deficiency.However,the increase in CVI within the central 1500μm of the macula persists even after 4mo.

Atherogenic indices in non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy

AIM:To evaluate the atherogenic indices and the relationship with visual acuity and bilateral sequential involvement in patients with non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy(NAION).METHODS:A total of 65 patients with NAION and 48 age-sex matched healthy individuals were included in this retrospective study.The demographic characteristics and laboratory findings of the patients and control subjects were obtained from the electronic medical records.The atherogenic indices were calculated using the lipid parameters.The association between visual acuity,bilateral sequential involvement,and atherogenic indices was investigated.RESULTS:The mean age was 63.8±12.5 y in the NAION group and 64.7±10.1 y in control group(P=0.707).Although there were no significant differences in terms of total cholesterol(TC)and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c)between two groups(P=0.089,0.091),all the nontraditional serum lipid ratios were significantly higher in NAION group(P<0.05).In the NAION subgroup analysis,with visual acuity≤20/200 had higher TC/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-c),LDL-c/HDL-c,and non-HDL-c/HDL-c values than the patients in the NAION group with visual acuity>20/200(P=0.032,0.025,0.032,respectively).The values for the atherogenic indices were higher in NAION patients with bilateral sequential involvement in comparison to those with unilateral involvement(P=0.271,0.127,0.197,0.128,0.127,respectively).CONCLUSION:The study reveals a relationship between NAION and the non-traditional lipid ratios.Atherogenic indices may predict the visual loss severity and second eye involvement in patients with NAION.