Nurul-Farhana M, Ngah N F, Shatriah I
Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Medical Sciences, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
Hospital Shah Alam, Department of Ophthalmology, Persiaran Kayangan, Seksyen 7, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
Med J Malaysia. 2025 Mar;80(2):221-227.
This study aims to evaluate the choroidal thickness and its correlation with age, spherical equivalent, and axial length in Malay children with myopia, addressing the limited data available on this topic in Southeast Asia.
A cross-sectional, hospital-based study was conducted from 2022 to 2024 at Hospital Shah Alam and Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia. A total of 109 Malay children aged 7-17 years participated, including 88 with myopia and 21 with emmetropia. Each participant underwent a comprehensive ocular examination, including non-cycloplegic refraction and axial length measurement. Choroidal thickness was assessed using Cirrus SD-optical coherence tomography, with one eye from each subject randomly selected for analysis.
The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly thinner in myopic children (284.91 μm) compared to emmetropic children (347.62 μm) (p<0.001). Additionally, choroidal thickness varied significantly with the degree of myopia: mild myopia had a mean subfoveal thickness of 319.69 μm, moderate myopia 290.04 μm, and high myopia 225.72 μm, with high myopia showing the thinnest choroid (p<0.001). A significant negative correlation was observed between axial length and subfoveal choroidal thickness, while a positive correlation was found between spherical equivalent and choroidal thickness. No significant correlation was identified between age and subfoveal choroidal thickness.
Malay children with myopia exhibit a thinner mean choroidal layer compared to their emmetropic peers, with the thinnest choroid observed in cases of high myopia. This indicates that thinning of the choroidal vasculature occurs with the increase in axial length and worsening severity of myopia.
本研究旨在评估患有近视的马来儿童的脉络膜厚度及其与年龄、等效球镜度和眼轴长度的相关性，以解决东南亚地区关于该主题的可用数据有限的问题。
2022年至2024年在莎阿南医院和马来西亚理科大学专科医院进行了一项基于医院的横断面研究。共有109名7至17岁的马来儿童参与，其中88名患有近视，21名视力正常。每位参与者都接受了全面的眼部检查，包括非散瞳验光和眼轴长度测量。使用Cirrus SD光学相干断层扫描评估脉络膜厚度，从每个受试者中随机选择一只眼睛进行分析。
近视儿童的平均黄斑下脉络膜厚度（284.91μm）明显比视力正常儿童（347.62μm）薄（p<0.001）。此外，脉络膜厚度随近视程度有显著差异：轻度近视的平均黄斑下厚度为319.69μm，中度近视290.04μm，高度近视225.72μm，高度近视的脉络膜最薄（p<0.001）。观察到眼轴长度与黄斑下脉络膜厚度之间存在显著负相关，而等效球镜度与脉络膜厚度之间存在正相关。未发现年龄与黄斑下脉络膜厚度之间存在显著相关性。
与视力正常的同龄人相比，患有近视的马来儿童的平均脉络膜层更薄，高度近视患者的脉络膜最薄。这表明脉络膜血管系统的变薄随着眼轴长度的增加和近视严重程度的加重而发生。
