Choroidal Thickness Profiles and Associated Factors in Myopic Children

Abstract

SIGNIFICANCEThis study addresses the lack of choroidal thickness (ChT) profile information available in European children and provides a baseline for further evaluation of longitudinal changes in ChT profiles in myopic children as a potential biomarker for myopia treatment and identifying children at risk of myopic progression.PURPOSEThis study aimed to investigate ChT profiles and associated factors in myopic children.METHODSBaseline data of 250 myopic children aged 6 to 16 years in the Myopia Outcome Study of Atropine in Children clinical trial were analyzed. Choroidal thickness images were obtained using swept-source optical coherence tomography (DRI-OCT Triton Plus; Topcon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). The macula was divided into nine Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study locations with diameters of 1, 3, and 6 mm corresponding to the central fovea, parafoveal, and perifoveal regions. Multiple linear regression models were used to investigate determinants of ChT.RESULTSChoroidal thickness varied across the macular Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study locations (P < .001): thickest in the perifoveal superior region (mean ± standard deviation, 249.0 ± 60.8 μm) and thinnest in the perifoveal nasal region (155.1 ± 50.3 μm). On average, ChT was greater in all parafoveal (231.8 ± 57.8 μm) compared with perifoveal (218.1 ± 49.1 μm) regions except superiorly where the ChT was greater in the perifoveal region. Longer axial length and higher myopic spherical equivalent refraction were consistently associated with thinner ChT at all locations in the multiple linear regression models. Asian race was significantly associated with thinner ChT only at parafoveal and perifoveal superior regions after Bonferroni correction (P = .004 and P = .001, respectively).CONCLUSIONSChoroidal thickness was thinnest in the nasal macular region and varied systematically across all macular locations, with axial length and spherical equivalent refraction being the strongest determinants of ChT. Longitudinal evidence will need to evaluate whether any differences in ChT profiles are predictive of myopic progression and to determine the role of ChT measurements in identifying myopic children most in need of myopia control treatment.

Short‐term effects of cyclopentolate and tropicamide eye drops on macular choroidal thickness in myopic children

“…This study recruited myopic participants (aged 6-16 years and 4-12 years for the cyclopentolate and tropicamide groups, respectively) involved in two clinical trials exploring the efficacy and safety of low-dose (0.01% or 0.02%) atropine at the Centre for Eye Research Ireland, as previously described. 20,21 The studies were approved by the Research Ethics Committees at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Ireland, Tallaght University Hospital, Ireland and Technological University Dublin, Ireland and adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Participants and their parents provided written informed assent and consent, respectively, prior to enrolling in the studies.…”

SubFoveal Choroidal Imaging in High Myopic Nepalese Cohort

“…In particular, a multiethnic study conducted among Asian populations, including Malay, Chinese, and Indian individuals, has identified significant differences in choroidal thickness among different ethnic groups, even after adjusting for factors such as age, gender, and axial length [ 17 ]. Additionally, a study found that the choroid is thinner in the para and perifoveal regions of Asian children compared to European children [ 18 ]. This suggests that there may be underlying genetic factors contributing to the observed differences in choroidal thickness.…”