Quantitative analysis of subfoveal choroidal thickness using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography in normal eyes

• Published in: International ophthalmology Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 35 - 40
• Main Authors: Ozdogan Erkul, Sezin, Kapran, Ziya, Uyar, O. Murat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Choroid - anatomy & histology; Female; Humans; Image Enhancement; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Ophthalmology; Organ Size; Original Paper; Regression Analysis; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods; Young Adult; Enhanced depth imaging; Choroidal thickness; Optic coherence tomography
• ISSN: 0165-5701; 1573-2630; 1573-2630
• DOI: 10.1007/s10792-013-9787-6

To evaluate subfoveal choroidal thickness of normal eyes with the use of the enhanced depth imaging technique of optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) and correlation of choroidal thickness with patient age. A retrospective analysis of 123 healthy eyes was performed. Age, gender, refractive state and spheric equivalencies were noted. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured and noted manually by two independent observers. A total of 72 patients (123 eyes) were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 47.47 (15–84). The mean spheric equivalent of the refractive error was −0.24 D. According to LogMAR, the mean visual acuity was −0.006. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 280.23 μm (SD ± 81.15, range 124–527 μm). The choroidal thickness showed a negative correlation with age for the subfoveal location ( p  = 0.000 a ). Regression analysis showed that subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased 3.14 μm for each year of age. The regression formulation was choroidal thickness = 429 − 3.14 × age. When we compared eyes according to their spheric equivalencies, there was no statistically significant correlation between spheric equivalency and subfoveal choroidal thickness. ( p  = 0.14). In this study, we report choroidal thickness measurement among healthy eyes within the Turkish population to demonstrate that EDI-OCT imaging can give cross-sectional information regarding the choroid, thereby facilitating quantitative imaging.