Abstract
PurposeWe aimed to measure the sizes of Schlemm’s canal (SC) and the trabecular meshwork (TM) in healthy individuals and to evaluate variations with age from childhood to old age by using swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT).MethodsAnterior chamber angle imaging of the superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal regions of the right and left eyes was performed with swept-source OCT. The diameter and area of SC and TM width and thickness were measured manually from OCT images.ResultsA total of 114 healthy individuals were enrolled and included 48 male subjects and 66 female subjects; their ages ranged from 7 to 83 years. Both the SC diameter and area in the four quadrants decreased significantly with aging (P < 0.001) and were wider in the nasal and temporal quadrants compared with the superior and inferior quadrants. Changes in SC size showed significant positive correlations with axial length (AL) and anterior chamber depth (P < 0.001). There was a significant positive association between age and TM thickness in the nasal and temporal quadrants (P < 0.05). The inferior quadrant TM width was the widest among the quadrants. The superior quadrant TM thickness was the thinnest among the quadrants. Changes in TM thickness in the nasal and temporal quadrants showed a significant negative correlation with AL (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation in SC and TM parameters with central corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, sex, or right or left eye (P > 0.05).ConclusionsWith aging, the SC diameter and area became smaller, TM thickness increased, and TM width seemed to remain constant. Measurements of the sizes of SC and the TM with swept-source OCT could assist in clinical assessments and treatment planning for glaucoma.
Highlights
1234567890();,: 1234567890();,: Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is the most important risk factor for glaucoma [1], with aqueous outflow obstruction playing the dominant role in IOP regulation [2]
1 Department of Ophthalmology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China biomicroscopy examinations [7], we reported that patients with primary open-angle glaucoma had a less observable s canal (SC), smaller SC diameter, and decreased trabecular meshwork (TM) thickness than normal individuals; the underlying reasons require further study
In all individuals with SC visibility, the SC diameter varied from 50.8 μm to 393.5 μm in the different quadrants of the eye and the SC area ranged from 835.3 μm 2 to 17,727.1 μm2
Summary
1234567890();,: 1234567890();,: Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is the most important risk factor for glaucoma [1], with aqueous outflow obstruction playing the dominant role in IOP regulation [2]. Aqueous humor is secreted by the ciliary body; 75% to 80% flows out through the conventional trabecular meshwork (TM)–Schlemm’s canal (SC) pathway [3]. As the main resistance points in the eye’s aqueous pathway, changes in the TM and SC are related to outflow facility and can cause IOP changes [4,5,6]. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive technique that can detect microstructural changes in the anterior chamber angle in vivo. In this study, we attempted to observe agerelated changes in human SC, TM, and anterior chamber parameters in normal eyes from childhood to old age using swept-source OCT
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