The choroid is one of the most vascularized structures of the human body and plays an irreplaceable role in nourishing photoreceptors. As such, choroidal dysfunction is implicated in a multitude of ocular diseases. Studying the choroid can lead to a better understanding of disease pathogenesis, progression and discovery of novel management strategies. However, current research has produced inconsistent findings, partly due to the physical inaccessibility of the choroid and the lack of reliable biomarkers. With the advancements in optical coherence tomography technology, our group has developed a novel quantitative imaging biomarker known as the choroidal vascularity index (CVI), defined as the ratio of vascular area to the total choroidal area. CVI is a potential tool in establishing early diagnoses, monitoring disease progression and prognosticating patients. CVI has been reported in existing literature as a robust marker in numerous retinal and choroidal diseases. In this review, we will discuss the current role of CVI with reference to existing literature, and make postulations about its potential and future applications.

脉络膜是人体中最血管化的结构之一，在滋养感光细胞中起着不可替代的作用。因此，脉络膜功能障碍与多种眼疾病有关。研究脉络膜可以更好地了解疾病的发病机理，进展和发现新的治疗策略。然而，当前的研究产生了不一致的发现，部分是由于脉络膜的物理不可及性以及缺乏可靠的生物标记物。随着光学相干断层扫描技术的发展，我们小组开发了一种新颖的定量成像生物标记物，称为脉络膜血管指数（CVI），定义为血管面积与脉络膜总面积之比。CVI是建立早期诊断的潜在工具，监测疾病进展并预后患者。在现有文献中已报道CVI作为许多视网膜和脉络膜疾病的有力标记。在这篇综述中，我们将参考现有文献讨论CVI的当前作用，并提出有关CVI的潜力和未来应用的假设。