Choroidal thinning in pseudoexfoliation syndrome detected by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography

To measure choroidal thickness in patients with pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome and to compare the values with control eyes using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT).

Thirty-four patients with PEX syndrome and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were included in this study. Only one eye of each of the patients was included. Choroidal thickness was measured manually from the outer border of the retinal pigment epithelium to the inner scleral border at the subfovea, 3 mm temporal to the fovea, and 3 mm nasal to the fovea using EDI-OCT.

A total of 34 eyes from 34 consecutive patients with PEX syndrome (19 women and 15 men; mean age 75.3 ± 6.6 years) were included in the analysis. The mean subfoveal, temporal, and nasal choroidal thickness was significantly thinner in the PEX syndrome group compared with the control group (p<0.05, at all points). The mean choroidal thickness in the PEX syndrome group was as follows: 259 ± 33 µm, 211 ± 29 µm, and 106 ± 24 µm, subfoveal, temporal, and nasal to the fovea, respectively. In comparison, the mean choroidal thickness in the control group was 274 ± 23 µm, 225 ± 17 µm, and 117 ± 17 µm, at the subfovea, 3 mm temporal to the fovea, and nasal to the fovea, respectively.

In PEX syndrome, there is choroidal thinning subfoveal, temporal, and nasal to the fovea on EDI-OCT. Decreased choroidal thickness, probably due to increased vascular resistance, and reduced blood flow, is seen in PEX syndrome.