Layer-Specific Choroidal Vascular Adaptation to High-Altitude Hypoxia Revealed by Functional OCT at 3,800 m
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ID: 315629
2026
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Abstract
Ascent to high-altitude induces systemic and ocular changes that alter vision. The functional responses of the choroidal vasculature at different depths to hypoxia remain incompletely understood. In this study, we employed functional optical coherence tomography (f-OCT) to quantify changes in choroidal vascular perfusion density (VPD) across superficial, deep, and total choroidal layers in sixteen healthy participants. Imaging was performed at baseline (1,100 m), and during acute (Day 2) and prolonged exposure (Day 9) to high-altitude (3,800m). Our depth-resolved analysis showed a modest but statistically significant decline in superficial choroidal VPD from baseline to Day 2 (P=0.031; Cohen’s d=-0.73). In contrast, both deep and total choroidal VPD increased significantly from baseline to Day 2 (P=0.002 and P=0.003, respectively; Cohen’s d>0.9). Changes in superficial, deep and total choroidal VPD persisted from Day 2 through Day 9 at 3,800 m. PaO 2 showed a strong negative correlation with deep choroidal (r = -0.655; P = 0.0003) and total choroid VPD (r = -0.566; P=0.0014), but no significant correlation was observed with the VPD of the superficial layer (r=0.018; P=0.93). The strong correlation between VPD and the stimulus index (PaCO 2 /PaO 2 ) in the total choroid suggests that hypoxia-induced vasodilation outweighs hypocapnic vasoconstriction, leading to increased perfusion (r=0.629; P=0.0003). These findings suggest deep choroidal hyper-perfusion on ascent to high altitude helps sustain outer retinal oxygenation. Depth-resolved choroid imaging may offer new insights into ocular resilience to environmental challenges and provide a valuable tool to monitor spaceflight-related ocular changes associated with neuro-ocular syndrome.
| Reference Key |
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| Authors | Mohammad Amin Safarzadeh, Jacquie Baker, S Raj, Usman Alim, Trevor A Day, Nicholas Jendzjowsky, Richard J A Wilson |
| Journal | Food & function |
| Year | 2026 |
| DOI |
10.1152/function.002.2026
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| URL | |
| Keywords | Keywords not found |
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