Macular measurements using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in Chinese myopic children

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the macular thickness/volume in Chinese myopic children using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and assess its correlation with spherical equivalent refraction (SER), axial length (AL), sex, and age.

Methods: A total of 194 eyes from 194 children (aged 6-17 years old) with emmetropia (-0.5 diopters [D] < SER ≤ 0.5 D), low myopia (-3.0 D < SER ≤ -0.5 D), and moderate to high myopia (SER ≤ -3.0 D) were recruited in the study. Each child underwent standardized ophthalmic examinations including visual acuity (VA), cycloplegic refraction, and AL measurement. The macular thickness for the nine Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) regions and the average macular thickness/volume were measured and calculated.

Results: Analyses of macular thickness for the ETDRS regions showed that the fovea was the thinnest of the nine regions, followed by the outer ring; the inner ring was the thickest. When compared to children with emmetropia or low myopia, children with moderate to high myopia tended to have greater foveal thickness, thinner quadrant-specific thickness in the outer ring, and smaller average macular thickness/volume. Also, there were significant differences in foveal, superior outer, inferior outer, and temporal outer quadrants among lowest, middle, and highest AL groups. Boys were found to have greater macular thickness than girls in fovea and inner ring regions.

Conclusions: Our study highlights the variations and sex differences of macular thickness/volume in Chinese myopic children using SD-OCT.

Keywords: myopia; optical coherence tomography; refractive error.