SD-OCT Choroidal Thickness in Advanced Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Glaucoma Research
• Optical Coherence Tomography

Background:

• Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.
• Understanding structural changes in advanced glaucoma is crucial for disease management.
• Choroidal thickness alterations may play a role in POAG pathophysiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare choroidal thickness between patients with advanced POAG and healthy controls.
• To investigate the utility of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in assessing choroidal changes in POAG.
• To identify factors influencing choroidal thickness in advanced POAG.

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of 35 eyes from 35 advanced POAG patients (mean deviation worse than -12 dB).
• Inclusion of 35 healthy subjects as a control group.
• Measurement of choroidal thickness using enhanced depth imaging SD-OCT at multiple points (subfoveal, nasal, and temporal to the fovea).

Main Results:

• Advanced POAG patients showed significantly thinner subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) compared to controls (209.90 μm vs. 234.78 μm, P=0.042).
• Temporal choroidal thickness measurements were also statistically significant, following the SFCT trend.
• SFCT decreased with increasing age (P=0.007) and axial length (P=0.001).

Conclusions:

• Advanced POAG is associated with reduced choroidal thickness compared to normal subjects.
• SD-OCT is effective in detecting these choroidal differences.
• Age and axial length are key determinants of choroidal thickness in POAG patients.