PURPOSE: To evaluate the thickness and volume of the choroid in healthy Korean children using swept-source optical coherence tomography. METHODS: We examined 80 eyes of 40 healthy children and teenagers (<18 years) using swept-source optical coherence tomography with a tunable long-wavelength laser source. A volumetric macular scan protocol using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study grid was used to construct a choroidal thickness map. We also examined 44 eyes of 35 healthy adult volunteers (> or =18 years) and compared adult measurements with the findings in children. RESULTS: The mean age of the children and teenagers was 9.47 +/- 3.80 (4 to 17) vs. 55.04 +/- 12.63 years (36 to 70 years) in the adult group (p < 0.001, Student's t-test). Regarding the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study subfields, the inner temporal subfield was the thickest (247.96 microm). The inner and outer nasal choroid were thinner (p = 0.004, p = 0.002, respectively) than the surrounding areas. The mean choroidal volumes of the inner and outer nasal areas were smaller (p = 0.004, p = 0.003, respectively) than those of all the other areas in each circle. Among the nine subfields, all areas in the children, except the outer nasal subfield, were thicker than those in adults (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that age, axial length, and refractive error correlated with subfoveal choroidal thickness (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Overall macular choroidal thickness and volume in children and teenagers were significantly greater than in adults. The nasal choroid was significantly thinner than the surrounding areas. The pediatric subfoveal choroid is prone to thinning with increasing age, axial length, and refractive error. These differences should be considered when choroidal thickness is evaluated in children with chorioretinal diseases.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aging/physiology ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Axial Length, Eye/anatomy & histology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Choroid/*anatomy & histology ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Macula Lutea/anatomy & histology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea ; *Tomography, Optical Coherence

PURPOSE: To study choroidal thickness and its topographic profile in normal eyes using 3D OCT-1000 spectral domain optical coherence tomography and the correlation with age and refractive error. METHODS: Fifty-seven eyes (45 individuals) with no visual complaints or ocular disease underwent horizontal and vertical line scanning using 3D OCT-1000. The definition of choroidal thickness was the vertical distance between the posterior edge of the hyper-reflective retinal pigment epithelium and the choroid/sclera junction. Choroidal thickness was measured in the subfoveal area at 500 microm intervals from the fovea to 2,500 microm in the nasal, temporal, superior, and inferior regions. The spherical equivalent refractive error was measured by autorefractometry. Statistical analysis was used to confirm the correlations of choroidal thickness with age and refraction error. RESULTS: The mean age of the 45 participants (57 eyes) was 45.28 years. Detailed visualization of the choroid for measuring its thickness was possible in 63.3% of eyes. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was found to be 270.8 microm (standard deviation [SD], +/-51 microm), in horizontal scanning and 275.0 microm (SD, +/-49 microm) in vertical scanning. The temporal choroidal thickness was greater than any 500 microm interval in corresponding locations, and there was no significant difference between the superior and inferior choroid as far as 2,000 microm from the fovea. Age and refractive error were associated with subfoveal choroidal thickness in terms of regression (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Choroidal thickness in normal Korean eyes can be measured using 3D OCT-1000 with high resolution line scanning. The topographical profile of choroidal thickness varies depending on its location. Age and refractive error are essential factors for interpretation of choroidal thickness.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Choroid/*anatomy & histology ; Female ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organ Size ; Reference Values ; Refractive Errors ; Republic of Korea ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/*methods

PURPOSE: To evaluate a simplified method to measure peripapillary choroidal thickness using commercially available, three-dimensional optical coherence tomography (3D-OCT). METHODS: 3D-OCT images of normal eyes were consecutively obtained from the 3D-OCT database of Korea University Medical Center On the peripapillary images for retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) analysis, choroidal thickness was measured by adjusting the segmentation line for the retinal pigment epithelium to the chorioscleral junction using the modification tool built into the 3D-OCT image viewer program. Variations of choroidal thickness at 12 sectors of the peripapillary area were evaluated. RESULTS: We were able to measure the peripapillary choroidal thickness in 40 eyes of our 40 participants, who had a mean age of 41.2 years (range, 15 to 84 years). Choroidal thickness measurements had strong inter-observer correlation at each sector (r = 0.901 to 0.991, p < 0.001). The mean choroidal thickness was 191 +/- 62 microm. Choroidal thickness was greatest at the temporal quadrant (mean +/- SD, 210 +/- 78 microm), followed by the superior (202 +/- 66 microm), nasal (187 +/- 64 microm), and inferior quadrants (152 +/- 59 microm). CONCLUSIONS: The measurement of choroidal thickness on peripapillary circle scan images for RNFL analysis using the 3D-OCT viewing program was highly reliable and efficient.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Choroid/*anatomy & histology ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/*methods/statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Observer Variation ; Retina/*anatomy & histology ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/*methods/statistics & numerical data ; Young Adult