The choroid profiles at the posterior pole measured by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography in healthy Korean children

Abstract

AbstractPurpose To assess the changes of the choroidal thickness in healthy Korean Children using enhanced depth imaging (EDI) optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to evaluate the association of choroidal thickness and axial length.Methods Seventy‐nine eyes (79 children) with cycloplegic refractive errors within ± 1diopter spherical equivalent underwent horizontal scan using EDI OCT. The choroidal thickness was the vertical distance between the posterior edge of the retinal pigment epithelium and the inner scleral border at 1mm intervals from 3mm nasal and 4mm temporal to the fovea using the manual caliper provided by the software of the device. Axial length was examined by partial coherence interferometry. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate variations of choroidal thickness at each location and to correlate choroidal thickness and axial length.Results The mean age was 7.67 years. The mean±SD subfoveal choroidal thickness was 296.13±61.36µm. And the mean choroidal thickness was 160.57µm, 209.19µm, and 256.90µm at 3mm, 2mm, 1mm nasal to the fovea and 302.77µm, 307.68µm, 314.33µm, 319.49µm at 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm temporal to the fovea respectively. The mean axial length was 22.96±0.77mm. The mean choroidal thickness was 28.69µm and 28.36µm thicker at 3mm and 2mm nasal to the fovea respectively in eyes with shorter than mean axial length (p=0.011, p=0.033).Conclusion The choroidal thickness increased nasal to the temporal direction at posterior pole and eyes with shorter axial length tend to present thicker choroids at nasal area to the fovea in Korean children with no refractive errors.