CHOROIDAL THICKNESS IN PATIENTS WITH STARGARDT DISEASE

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Diseases
• Vision Science

Background:

• Stargardt disease (STGD) is a common inherited macular dystrophy.
• Understanding the structural and functional changes in STGD is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between choroidal thickness (CT), central foveal thickness, multifocal electroretinography (mf-ERG) responses, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in STGD patients.

Main Methods:

• A study included 30 eyes of 30 STGD patients and 30 healthy controls.
• Ophthalmic examinations included BCVA, spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and mf-ERG for STGD patients.

Main Results:

• STGD patients had significantly thinner subfoveal CT (271.95 ± 85.57 μm) and central foveal thickness (223.56 ± 61.38 μm) compared to controls.
• mf-ERG responses were significantly reduced in STGD patients.
• Correlations were found between subfoveal CT and BCVA, parafoveal CT and inner retinal thickness/mf-ERG, and mf-ERG and outer retinal thickness.

Conclusions:

• Patients with STGD demonstrate reduced choroidal thickness, which may contribute to their clinical presentation.
• The pathophysiological implications of these observed differences warrant further investigation.