Abstract
The choroid is a heavily vascularized tissue located between the retina and sclera and plays a primary role in ocular metabolism. It has recently been suggested that the choroid has the ability to change its thickness and secretion of growth factors. This may play an important role during visual development by adjusting retinal position during growth to support emmetropisation; however, the mechanism by which changes in choroidal thickness (ChT) occur is unclear. This relationship becomes an interesting topic in the clinical field, although conflicting evidence found that these changes in the choroidal thickness may not be associated with the development of refractive errors. Many reports have investigated the changes in the choroid and related factors that affect the ChT. Thus, this review will summarize the current literature related to choroidal thickness in different refractive error groups, determine the factors that influence the thickness of the choroid, and discuss in detail the relationship between the changes in the ChT and ocular elongation, and therefore, the effect of optical defocus on ChT and the development of the refractive error.
Highlights
The choroid of the human eye is mainly a vascular structure located between the retina and the sclera
The changes in choroidal thickness, as well as the secretion of growth factors and the relationship between these two mechanisms, remain unclear [5 - 8]. This relationship becomes an interesting topic in the clinical field, conflicting evidence found that these changes in the choroidal thickness may not be associated with the development of refractive errors
The results showed that the choroidal thickness (ChT) decreased when myopia developed, while a thicker choroid was found for those developing hyperopia
Summary
The choroid of the human eye is mainly a vascular structure located between the retina and the sclera It plays an important role in ocular metabolism by supplying the outer retina and retinal pigment epithelium with oxygen and nutrients [1]. It has been proposed that the choroid has other functions, such as thermoregulation of ocular temperature, adjustment of the position of the retina by changes in choroidal thickness (ChT), and regulation of eye growth [2 - 4] These functions could play an important role during the emmetropization process by changing retinal position during eye growth to correct refractive errors [1]. This relationship becomes an interesting topic in the clinical field, conflicting evidence found that these changes in the choroidal thickness may not be associated with the development of refractive errors
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