Optical coherence tomography measurements of choroidal thickness in healthy eyes: correlation with age and axial length.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To evaluate subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT) in healthy eyes using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and provide correlations between age and axial length.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Enhanced depth SD-OCT imaging was performed with Cirrus (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) and Spectralis (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) instruments. CT was measured from the outer limit of the retinal pigment epithelium to the inner surface of the sclera.

RESULTS

The study enrolled 155 patients, with at least 20 in each decade between 22 and 89 years old. Mean axial length was 23.6 mm. Mean Heidelberg subfoveal CT was 286 µm. The correlation between Heidelberg and Zeiss subfoveal CT measurements was strong (r = .978) and significant (P < .001). Mean subfoveal CT was 7.7 µm thinner by Heidelberg versus Cirrus (P < .001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age (P < .001), axial length (P = .001), and sex (P = .025) were significantly related to Heidelberg subfoveal CT.

CONCLUSION

There is a strong negative correlation between CT and age (P <.001), with a 25 µm decrease in CT for each decade of life. Increasing axial length demonstrated a negative correlation with CT, decreasing 24.9 µm for each mm of axial length. Future studies of CT measurements can be performed on either instrument and must account for axial length, age, and sex to make appropriate conclusions.