Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness and Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose. To investigate the potential relationship between open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and peripapillary choroidal thickness (PPCT). Materials and Methods. Relevant publications were searched systematically through various databases from inception to January 2016. Studies comparing PPCT in OAG patients and healthy controls were retrieved. All qualified articles were analyzed using Stata 14.0 and Revman 5.3 software. Results. A total of 13 studies were identified for inclusion. There was a significant reduction of average PPCT in OAG patients compared to control participants (WMD = -24.07, 95% CI: -34.29, -13.85). Reduction of PPCT was significant in the superior (WMD = -28.87, 95% CI: -44.96, -12.78) and nasal (WMD = -21.75, 95% CI: -41.52, -1.98) sectors, but there was no significant reduction of PPCT in the inferior (WMD = -9.57, 95% CI: -36.55, 17.40) and temporal (WMD = -13.85, 95% CI: -35.40, 7.70) sectors. No obvious publication bias was detected. Conclusions. This meta-analysis suggests that open-angle glaucoma patients have significantly decreased peripapillary choroidal thickness compared to healthy individuals. Peripapillary choroidal thickness measured by optical coherence tomography may be an important parameter to consider in open-angle glaucoma.