The correlation of hyperopia and choroidal thickness, vessel diameter and area

This study evaluates the effect of axial length and hyperopia error on macular choroidal thickness as well as choroidal vessel lumen diameter and area with EDI-OCT in short eyes.

The study includes 64 volunteers who are over 18 years of ages and applied to Eye Clinic of Ankara Training and Research Hospital. Choroidal thickness, choroidal vessel lumen diameter and areas were measured with Spectralis^® OCT device using EDI technique.

The study group included 44 volunteers with hyperopic refractive error, and control group included 20 emmetropic volunteers. Macular choroid was statistically significantly thicker in all quadrants as the hyperopia error increased (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between axial lengths and macular choroidal thicknesses in all quadrants (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in choroidal vessel lumen diameter and area between hyperopia groups for both large and small vessels (p < 0.01). The relationships between mean axial length and mean large choroidal vessel diameter and mean area measurements were negatively correlated and they were statistically significant. On the other hand, there was no such negative correlation with small choroidal vessels that have small diameter and area.

Macular choroid thickens as the hyperopic error increases as well as axial length decreases in short eyes. The diameters and areas of noticeable large choroidal vessels in EDI-OCT also increase. These findings in EDI-OCT measurements may play a role in developing population nomograms, as a correcting parameter and in understanding the pathophysiology of certain diseases in short eyes.