OCTA in Cardiovascular Disease and Healthy Controls

Each patient (32 patients) and healthy individual (32 healthy individuals) undergoes one study visit. After providing informed consent, each patient and healthy individual receives an assessment of their retinal vessels using OCTA and SLDF. In the sub-study of 10 patients with cardiovascular disease, the reliability of the OCTA measurements will be determined. Each patient will receive three study visits (with an OCTA and SLDF assessment on each occasion) on three different days.

Inclusion criteria

for patients with cardiovascular disease:

• cardiovascular disease defined as one or more of the following: arterial hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, heart failure

Inclusion criteria

for healthy individuals:

• BMI 18-29.9 kg/m2
• Non-smoker
• Good general health, as determined by study personnel based on assessments of previous visits, including anamnesis, vital signs, physical examination and clinical laboratory parameters.

Exclusion criteria

for patients with cardiovascular disease:

• Active ophthalmological (retinal) disease resulting in impaired visual assessment of retinal vessels (e.g. glaucoma, cataracts, retinal oedema).

Exclusion criteria

for healthy individuals:

• Active ophthalmological (retinal) disease with reduced visual assessment of retinal vessels (e.g. glaucoma, cataracts, retinal oedema).
• clinically relevant deviation in physical examination, vital signs, or laboratory parameters (based on the physician's clinical judgement).
• a clinically relevant history of cardiovascular disease or any other previously known cardiovascular disease
• History of clinically relevant neurological, gastrointestinal, renal, hepatic, psychological, pulmonary, metabolic, endocrine or other diseases
• office blood pressure above or equal to 140/90 mmHg
• Office heart rate outside of the following range: 50-99 bpm
• regular intake of any medication for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (e.g. antihypertensive or antidiabetic medication) within one month before study inclusion
• alcohol or drug abuse