Retinal and choroidal thickness in early age-related macular degeneration

To compare retinal thickness and choroidal thickness at increasing retinal eccentricity in individuals with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and in healthy controls using enhanced choroidal penetration, 3-dimensional optical coherence tomography at 1060 nm.

Cross-sectional study.

Individuals with early AMD (n = 16; mean age, 71.6 ± 8.5 years) and a comparison group of healthy controls (n = 16; 67.6 ± 5.4 years) were recruited. Three-dimensional (20 degrees × 20 degrees) long-wavelength optical coherence tomography (1060 nm) images (approximately 8-μm axial resolution; 47,000 A scans/second, centered on the fovea) were obtained from all participants after pupil dilation. Retinal thickness was measured between the inner limiting membrane and the retinal pigment epithelium. Choroidal thickness was measured between the retinal pigment epithelium and the choroid-scleral interface. Thickness measurements were obtained subfoveally and at 0.5-mm intervals to a maximum of 2.0 mm nasally, temporally, superiorly, and inferiorly. The main outcome measures were retinal and choroidal thickness (measured in micrometers) at different eccentricities on vertical and horizontal meridians.

Mean retinal thickness was reduced significantly in the group of participants with early AMD compared with the control group at multiple locations within 2.0 mm of the fovea. This difference was most significant at the fovea, where the mean retinal thickness of the early AMD group was 179 ± 27 μm and that of the control group was 202 ± 18 μm (P = .008). There was no significant difference in choroidal thickness between groups at any location.

Retinal thickness is reduced in early AMD, but choroidal thickness seems to be unaffected by the early disease process.