Vitamin D Deficiency Contributes to Diabetic Macular Ischemia: Study

The study population consisted of 54.4% female and 45.6% male participants with an average age of 58 ± 7 years. Researchers targeted vascular density in three retina zones (foveal, parafoveal, and perifoveal) as well as in superficial and deep vascular layers. FAZ, or the region of the retina without blood vessels, was also assessed in both layers.

Key Findings

The findings indicated a consistent and statistically significant correlation between increased vitamin D levels and improved retinal microvascular health:

Superficial Vascular Density:

• Foveal zone: r = 0.711, P < 0.001

• Parafoveal zone: r = 0.852, P < 0.001

• Perifoveal zone: r = 0.832, P < 0.001

Deep Vascular Density:

• Foveal zone: r = 0.868, P < 0.001

• Parafoveal zone: r = 0.790, P < 0.001

• Perifoveal zone: r = 0.645, P < 0.001

Foveal Avascular Zone (FAZ):

• Superficial layer: r = −0.806, P < 0.001

• Deep layer: r = −0.801, P < 0.001

The research showed that vitamin D deficiency was highly linked with microvascular injury in diabetic maculopathy as indicated by decreased vascular density and elevated FAZ. Vitamin D was also a strong predictor of such changes when other factors were controlled. The results validate the role of vitamin D in the preservation of retinal vascular health and indicate its promise as a preventive agent against diabetic macular ischemia.

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