Xinyu Wang,1,2 Hui Zhang,3 Hui Lu,1 Baixue Zhang,2,3 Bo Li,3 Lifen Gao1 

1Department of Ophthalmology, Zibo Central Hospital, Zibo, Shandong Province, 255000, People’s Republic of China; 2Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang City, Shandong Province, 261053, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiology, Zibo Central Hospital, Zibo, Shandong Province, 255000, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Bo Li, Email bolidoc@163.com Lifen Gao, Email Gaolifen1971@163.com

Abstract: Coronary atherosclerotic heart disease is the main cause of death worldwide. This disease is characterized by the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in the heart artery and the reduction of myocardial blood circulation caused by vasospasm. The risk factors of atherosclerosis include old age, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes. Research has shown that coronary heart disease not only causes kidney and cerebrovascular diseases, but also leads to dysfunction and structural changes in the retinal microvasculature of the eye. Therefore, several studies have proposed that retinal microvascular changes can be used as a diagnostic tool to assess coronary heart disease course and prognosis. This article will review the mechanism of retinal microvascular disease, retinal vascular morphological changes, and microvascular density changes related to coronary atherosclerotic heart disease.

Keywords: coronary heart disease, retinal microvasculature, retinal arteriovenous ratio, OCTA, retinal vessel density