Choroidal thickness in the subtypes of angle closure: an EDI-OCT study

To evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) in the subtypes of angle-closure (AC) disease compared with CT in a healthy control.

A total of 297 subjects (eyes) were enrolled in the study: 87 were nonglaucoma controls and 210 were AC subtype eyes (primary AC suspect [PACS], 73 eyes; acute primary AC [APAC], 46 eyes; primary AC [PAC], 35 eyes; and primary AC glaucoma [PACG], 56 eyes). Enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) was used to measure the macular CT in the subtypes of AC disease and in healthy control subjects. The average CT was compared among the five groups.

Thinner CT was associated with older age and longer axial length (AL) (all P < 0.001). All AC groups had thicker subfoveal CT (SFCT) compared with the control eyes (all P < 0.05), even after controlling for age and the AL factor. Acute primary angle-closure eyes had the thickest SFCT and were 61.9-μm thicker than healthy eyes, while PACS, PAC, and PACG eyes were 32.9-, 30.9-, and 25.4-μm thicker than healthy eyes, respectively. No significant difference was observed among the PACS, PAC, and PACG groups.

Increased CT might be another anatomic characteristic of AC eyes. These findings may support the hypotheses that choroidal expansion is a contributing factor to the development of AC disease.