Retinal and Choroidal Changes in Children with Moderate-to-High Hyperopia.

Yu Qian,Jun Qiang,Yingyan Ma,Zhaoyu Xiang,Yan Xu,Haidong Zou,Qiurong Lin,Michele Figus

doi:10.1155/2021/9971564

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness, and choroidal thickness in children with moderate-to-high hyperopia (MHH). Methods This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 53 children with MHH and 53 emmetropic children. Subjects with a spherical equivalent refraction (SER) of +4.0 D or higher were included in the MHH group, and subjects with SER between −1.0 D and +1.0 D were included in the emmetropic group. Ophthalmic examinations, including uncorrected visual acuity, cycloplegic refraction, slit-lamp examination, axial length, and swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT; DRI OCT Triton-1, Topcon, Tokyo, Japan), were performed. Results The RNFL and GCL in the temporal and inferior quadrants in 1–3 mm of the macular fovea were thinner in the MHH group than in the emmetropic group (all P < 0.05). The MHH group also had a thicker choroidal thickness in all regions (all P < 0.05). The SER was independently correlated with the average choroidal thickness in the optic disc and fovea (coefficient = 4.853, P < 0.001 for the optic disc; coefficient = 5.523, P=0.004 for the fovea), while axial length was negatively correlated with choroidal thickness (coefficient = −12.649, P < 0.001). Axial length was positively associated with RNFL and GCL thickness in the temporal quadrant in 1–3 mm of the macular fovea (coefficient = 0.966, P=0.007 for RNFL and coefficient = 1.476, P=0.011 for the macular fovea). Conclusion Compared with emmetropic children, MMH children had greater choroidal thickness. The characteristics of the RNFL and GCL thickness in MMH children were different from those in emmetropic children.

Highlights

Wenner et al [13] used optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure the pRNFL of children in different refractive states and showed that there was no statistical difference between children with moderate-to-high hyperopia (MHH) and children with −1.0 to 3.0 D vision
Dikkaya and Karaman Erdur [12] found no difference in inner macular ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness between the two groups. ere are only a few reports of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and GCL thickness in MHH children, and all existing data are from European populations
E thickness of the pRNFL was generally greater in the MHH group than in the emmetropic group (Table 2)

Summary

Research Article

Yu Qian ,1,2,3 Yingyan Ma, Qiurong Lin, Zhaoyu Xiang, Jun Qiang, Yan Xu ,3 and Haidong Zou 1,2,3. The existing database of RNFL and GCL thickness in children is based on data from children with emmetropia or low and moderate diopter SER [8,9,10] In our opinion, this database may not be suitable for the diagnosis of glaucoma in children with MHH. RNFL, GCL, and choroid thickness in MHH and emmetropic children were measured using SSOCT, and the differences between the two groups were compared. All quadrants and the average thickness of the choroid in the macula and optic disc in the MHH group were significantly greater than those in the emmetropic group (Tables 2 and 3). D: diopter; results are mean ± SD or n (%); ∗Mann–Whitney U test; †chi-square test; ‡independent samples t-test

Layer MHH group Emmetropic group P value

Fovea Average

Additional Points