CHOROIDAL THICKNESS IN HEALTHY CHILDREN

Purpose: To evaluate the choroidal thickness profiles of healthy children using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. Methods: Horizontal and vertical enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography crosshair scans through the fovea were obtained from 48 healthy children. Choroidal thickness was measured at the fovea, 1 mm and 3 mm nasal, temporal, superior, and inferior to the fovea, and comparisons of choroidal thickness at different measurement points were performed. Results: The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 348.4 +/- 82.5 mm and the thickness at 1 mm nasal, temporal, superior, and inferior to the fovea was 306.1 +/- 86.3, 352.0 +/- 84.8, 349.9 +/- 83.8, and 343.8 +/- 86.8 mm, respectively. The thickness at 3 mm nasal, temporal, superior, and inferior to the fovea was 190.1 +/- 63.9, 339.2 +/- 89.8, 330.7 +/- 82.1, and 309.9 +/- 78.4 mm, respectively. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was negatively correlated with age. Conclusion: The data, obtained using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography, provide the choroidal thickness profile of healthy children. The characteristic choroidal thickness profile in children suggests a redistribution process of choroidal tissue with aging.