Distribution Pattern of Choroidal Thickness at the Posterior Pole in Chinese Children With Myopia

Abstract

Citation: Deng J, Li X, Jin J, et al. Distribution pattern of choroidal thickness at the posterior pole in Chinese children with myopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59:1577-1586. https://doi.org/10.1167 PURPOSE. To determine the relationship between choroidal thickness (ChT) at the posterior pole and refractive error and to explore the difference between the macular and peripapillary regions in children with myopia. METHODS.A total of 340 healthy Chinese children underwent a series of comprehensive ocular examinations including cycloplegic refraction. Swept-source optical coherence tomography was used to measure the ChT in the macular and peripapillary regions. The Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study grid was applied to define the sectors.RESULTS. The mean spherical equivalent (SE) of the participants was À1.71 6 2.22 diopter (D; range from À7.63 to 4.25 D). The mean ChT in the central foveal, parafoveal, and perifoveal regions were 229 6 65 lm, 227 6 60 lm, and 215 6 50 lm, respectively, and the mean global peripapillary choroidal thickness (PPCT) was 136 6 33 lm. The choroid in the macular region and the global PPCT was thinner in myopes compared to hyperopes. The area between the central fovea and the optic disc underwent the largest change as myopia worsened. SE, uncorrected visual acuity, cornea curvature radius (CR), retinal thickness (RT), and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT, except for the central fovea) were the independent factors of ChT in the macular region. SE, CR, RT, and RNFLT were the independent factors of PPCT temporally, inferiorly, and globally, while only CR, RT, and RNFLT were independently associated with PPCT superiorly and nasally.CONCLUSIONS. Choroidal thinning might be uneven during the development of myopia. SE only influenced the macular area and sectors temporal and inferior to the optic disc.

Morphological Characteristics of the Optic Nerve Head and Choroidal Thickness in High Myopia

“…The SS-OCT examinations were performed by one experienced examiner from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM each day to minimize the influence of diurnal variation. 28,29 Using this approach, the average thicknesses of the macular retinal and choroidal layers, as well as the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and choroidal layers, were measured. The scanning protocol used a 12-line radial scan pattern that centered on the fovea and optic disc with a resolution of 1024 × 12.…”

“…In the macular region, all nine sectors of the grid were applied to analyze the average thickness; however, in the parapapillary area, only four regions of the outer circle were used to calculate the average thickness because no choroidal tissue was found in the central and inner circles, and the topographic maps were not reliable in these regions. 15,28 Retinal thickness was defined as the vertical distance between the internal limiting membrane (ILM) and the interface between the photoreceptor outer segments and retinal pigment epithelium. The RNFL thickness was defined as the vertical distance between the ILM and the interface between the nerve fiber layer and the ganglion cell layer.…”

Impact of the Morphologic Characteristics of Optic Disc on Choroidal Thickness in Young Myopic Patients

“…While in the optic disc area, only four regions of the outer circle were used to analyze the average thickness, because there was no choroidal tissue in the central and inner circle, and the topographic maps were not reliable in these regions. 25 The circle placement was manually adjusted if necessary.…”

A metrological approach to the analysis of choroidal thickness by optical coherence tomography 3D scans in myopia research

“…Previous studies in animals 2–4 and humans 5–8 have shown that the choroid might be capable to change its thickness in a bi-directional fashion in response and in relation to the sign of defocus already after a short period of time and in anti-phase to the axial length. Moreover, physiological 9–14 and defocus-manipulated circadian thickness changes 15,16 of the choroid gained more interest together with differences in the absolute thickness and distribution patterns of choroidal thickness between myopes and emmetropes 17–19 . The aforementioned choroidal reaction, rhythm and global distribution therefore might serve as a predictive biomarker for future axial length development.…”