Subfoveal choroidal thickness in myopic and non myopic children

Abstract

AbstractPurpose Since the recent development of Enhanced‐Depth‐Imaging program (Spectral domain OCT), most of the studies concerning choroidal thickness and myopia were performed on adults. The purpose of our study is to demonstrate a link between subfoveal choroidal thickness and ametropia in children.Methods We included 115 healthy children aged between 3 and 15 years. We measured refraction with cycloplegia, axial length and subfoveal choroidal thickness with EDI program (Spectral domain OCT). We compared mean subfoveal choroidal thickness in the myopic population of children, to non myopic population of children, using t‐test. We correlated axial length and subfoveal choroidal thickness using Spearmann test.Results We included 115 right eyes. The mean age was 7.8 years. The mean spherical equivalent refraction was 0.0 diopters,the mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 314.82 µm. 78 children had a positive spherical equivalent refraction (emmetropic and hyperopic group), 35 had a negative spherical equivalent refraction (myopic group). In the emmetropic/hyperopic group, the mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 332.3 µm. In the myopic group, it was 275.9 µm. The mean sufoveal choroidal thickness was significantly thinner in myopic children compared to the other group, with a difference of 53.4µm, p=0.032, IC 95% [18.29 ; 88.5]. The subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly correlated to axial length (r= ‐0.4343, p<0.0001, IC 95% [‐0.5768; ‐0.2662].Conclusion This study shows that subfoveal choroid is thinner in myopic children. This has been demonstrated in adult, but there are only a few studies about children. Our results confirm the recent literature. It leads to new projects of study: a thin choroid could be a predictive factor of myopia.