Effect of Therapy on Choroidal Thickness in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

To evaluate effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on choroidal thickness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

Thirty distinct eyes of 30 patients with OSAS were evaluated right before and 12 months after CPAP treatment in this prospective observational study. Choroidal thickness was measured at the fovea and with periodic intervals of 500 µm from the foveal center in both temporal and nasal directions using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in enhanced depth imaging mode.

The patients' mean age was 45.33 years ± 7.74 years, and there were eight females and 22 males. After CPAP therapy, the choroidal thicknesses were increased significantly at the subfoveal, 500 µm nasal to the fovea, 500 µm temporal to the fovea, and 1,000 µm temporal to fovea points (P < .05). However, none of retinal macular parameters were significantly different in statistical terms between the two measurements (P > .05).

CPAP therapy had a significant influence on choroidal thickness in patients with OSAS, providing an increase in choroidal thicknesses after 12 months. The determination of an increase in choroidal thickness may be useful to reveal the effects of CPAP therapy and also may be one of the mechanisms to improve choroidal function. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2018;49:846-851.].