Retinal and Choroidal Changes in Children with Moderate-to-High Hyperopia.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness, and choroidal thickness in children with moderate-to-high hyperopia (MHH).

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 53 children with MHH and 53 emmetropic children. Subjects with a spherical equivalent refraction (SER) of +4.0 D or higher were included in the MHH group, and subjects with SER between -1.0 D and +1.0 D were included in the emmetropic group. Ophthalmic examinations, including uncorrected visual acuity, cycloplegic refraction, slit-lamp examination, axial length, and swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT; DRI OCT Triton-1, Topcon, Tokyo, Japan), were performed.

RESULTS

The RNFL and GCL in the temporal and inferior quadrants in 1-3 mm of the macular fovea were thinner in the MHH group than in the emmetropic group (all < 0.05). The MHH group also had a thicker choroidal thickness in all regions (all < 0.05). The SER was independently correlated with the average choroidal thickness in the optic disc and fovea (coefficient = 4.853, < 0.001 for the optic disc; coefficient = 5.523, =0.004 for the fovea), while axial length was negatively correlated with choroidal thickness (coefficient = -12.649, < 0.001). Axial length was positively associated with RNFL and GCL thickness in the temporal quadrant in 1-3 mm of the macular fovea (coefficient = 0.966, =0.007 for RNFL and coefficient = 1.476, =0.011 for the macular fovea).

CONCLUSION

Compared with emmetropic children, MMH children had greater choroidal thickness. The characteristics of the RNFL and GCL thickness in MMH children were different from those in emmetropic children.