J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2012 Dec;53(12):1814-1822. 10.3341/jkos.2012.53.12.1814.

Choroidal Thickness Changes According to the Refractive Errors and Axial Length in Korean Myopia Patients

• Kim EJ
• Kim JH
• Koo SH
• Lee KW
• Lee JH

• KMID: 2216396
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2012.53.12.1814

Abstract

PURPOSE
To investigate the choroidal thickness changes with the Enhanced Depth Imaging (EDI) technique according to refractive errors and axial length in Korean myopia patients.
METHODS
A total of 90 eyes from 90 patients with myopia (between the ages of 19 and 39 years) underwent spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT)-EDI evaluations. Spherical equivalent was measured by cycloplegic refraction and axial length was obtained by IOL master(R). The subfoveal choroidal thickness was analyzed according to age, sex, axial length and spherical equivalent by linear correlations.
RESULTS
The average age of all subjects was 25.44 years, mean spherical equivalent was -5.06 diopter (D), mean axial length was 25.70 mm, and mean choroidal thickness was 281.47 microm. In a multiple regression model, the patients' age had no statistical effect on subfoveal choroidal thickness. Subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased by 13.58 microm per -1D increase in refractive errors and by 33.99 microm per 1 mm increase in axial length when adjusted for sex and age. In addition, subfoveal choroidal thickness was 59.82 microm thicker in men than in women when adjusted for axial length and spherical equivalent (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Among young Korean myopia patients, subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly related with refractive errors and axial length. Moreover, choroidal thickness was thicker in men than women when adjusted for refractive errors and axial length.

Keyword

Axial length; Choroidal thickness; Sex; Spectral-domain OCT; Spherical equivalent

MeSH Terms

Choroid
Eye
Female
Humans
Male
Myopia
Refractive Errors
Tomography, Optical Coherence

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Cross-sectional image of the choroid using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (OCT). Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured vertically from the outer border of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) to the inner border of the sclera (chorioscleral interface).

• 

  Figure 2 (Top) Subfoveal choroidal thickness shows 305 µm in 25 years old female with axial length (A.L) 24.09 mm and spherical equivalent (S.E) -1.88 D. (Middle) Subfoveal choroidal thickness shows 250 µm in 19 years old female with A.L 24.78 mm and S.E -3.00 D. (Bottom) Subfoveal choroidal thickness shows 140 µm in 35 years old female with A.L 25.65 mm and S.E -7.75 D. As spherical equivalent and axial length of patients increases, subfoveal choroidal thickness has a tendency to decrease.

• 

  Figure 3 (A) Scatterplot of spherical equivalent and subfoveal choroidal thickness of all subjects shows a significant positive correlation (p < 0.001 : y = 13.58x +347.60; R2 = 0.226). (B) Scatterplot of axial length and subfoveal choroidal thickness of all subjects shows a significant negative correlation (p < 0.001 : y = -33.99x + 897.01; R2 = 0.291).

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