Evaluation of the retinal ganglion cell layer thickness in healthy Turkish children.

Abstract

To identify the distribution, variation, and determinants of ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thickness in healthy Turkish children measured by high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT). This institutional study involved 296 eyes from 296 healthy children aged between 3 and 17 years. Each child underwent a dilated eye examination, cycloplegic refraction, and axial length measurement using Nidek AL-Scan optical biometer. Macular scan was used to measure the GC-IPL thickness, and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was measured using the HD-OCT (Cirrus HD-OCT). Right eye of each subject was selected for analysis. A total of 296 children (125 boys, 171 girls) were included in this study. The mean age of the children was 9.62±4.10 years (range, 3 to 17 y). The mean spherical equivalent was -0.09±1.49 D. The mean AL was 23.03±1.03 mm. The mean overall GC-IPL thickness was 83.44±5.52 μm and RNFL thickness was 96.91±10.21 μm. They were thicker than has been reported in adults. According to age-adjusted multiple regression analyses significant predictors of mean GC-IPL thickness were peripapillary RNFL thickness and AL (P<0.001). This study ensures a pediatric normative database of GC-IPL using spectral-domain OCT. This information may provide to diagnosis and monitoring of optic nerve diseases and glaucoma in children.