Comparison of choroidal vessel thickness in children and adult eyes by enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography imaging

Aim: To evaluate choroidal thickness, medium choroidal vessel thickness (MCVT) and large choroidal vessel thickness (LCVT) in normal children and adult subjects.

Methods: Manual measurements of subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), MCVT and LCVT at subfoveal and 750 µm nasal and temporal to fovea locations were completed on enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) scans of normal children and adult subjects.

Results: Fifty adult and fifty-seven child subjects were included in the study (including 80 adult and 103 child eyes). Mean (±SD) SFCT of adult and children eyes in the study was 309.3±95.7 µm and 279.3±50.4 µm respectively. SFCT and subfoveal MCVT in adult eyes were significantly more than children (P=0.01 and P≤0.0001 respectively).

Conclusion: There is choroidal thickening with associated thickening of medium choroidal vessels in adults, suggesting that there is alteration in choroidal vasculature with ageing.