Macular choroidal thickness measurements in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to assess macular choroidal thickness measurements in patients with different severities of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) versus normal controls by using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT).

DESIGN

This paper is a descriptive study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this prospective study, the macular area of 74 patients with OSAS and 33 controls were evaluated. All subjects underwent complete ophthalmic examination and macular choroidal thickness (CT) measurements by enhanced depth imaging method of the Spectralis optical coherence tomography system. Choroidal thickness (CT) was measured at the fovea and at 1,000-μm intervals from the foveal center in both temporal and nasal directions by two masked observers.

RESULTS

The mean age was not significantly different between patients with OSAS and controls. Patients were grouped as mild (n = 15), moderate (n = 28), and severe (n = 31) according to apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) scores. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was 338.0 ± 85.2 μm in the control group versus 351.3 ± 90, 307.8 ± 65.5, and 325.4 ± 110.2 μm in mild, moderate, and severe groups, respectively (p = 0.416). There was no significant correlation between the severity of OSAS and choroidal thickness.

CONCLUSIONS

The patients with OSAS seem to protect the choroidal thickness despite hypoxia. The role of OSAS in the pathophysiology of choroidal blood flow and choroidal structure needs further investigation.