Retinal Vascular Density on OCT-A and Age-Related Central and Peripheral Hearing Loss in an Italian Older Population

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and retinal vessel changes have both been associated to neurodegeneration/dementia, suggesting a possible link between these two conditions in older age. We analyzed data on 886 older participants (65 years+, age range: 65-92 years) in the cross-sectional population-based Salus in Apulia Study. OCT-A scan was used to measure SVD and DVD of the capillary plexi of the macula in different retinal quadrants. Peripheral ARHL was defined as >40 dB HL of PTA (0.5,1,2, and 4KHz) in the worst ear, and age-related CAPD as <50% at the SSI-ICM test in at least one ear. DVD at the whole retina and at the parafoveal quadrant were inversely associated only with age-related CAPD [OR:0.93; 95%CI: 0.88-0.96 and OR:0.94; 95 CI:0.90-0.99, respectively]. The association of retinal vascular density with age-related CAPD may bring us a further step forward in understanding the biological mechanisms underlying the links between neurodegeneration/dementia and ARHL.