Choroidal thickness in normal Indian eyes using swept-source optical coherence tomography.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Retinal Imaging

Background:

• Choroidal thickness is a key indicator of ocular health.
• Normative data is essential for diagnosing and managing various retinal conditions.
• Swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) offers advanced imaging capabilities for the choroid.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a normative database for subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in a healthy Indian population.
• To evaluate the relationship between SFCT and demographic/refractive parameters.
• To utilize SS-OCT for precise choroidal measurements.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 119 healthy Indian subjects (238 eyes).
• Measurements included axial length, spherical equivalent, and choroidal thickness using SS-OCT.
• Exclusion criteria targeted conditions affecting choroidal thickness, ensuring a healthy cohort.

Main Results:

• Mean SFCT was 299.10 ± 131.2 μm.
• SFCT showed a significant negative correlation with axial length (r = -0.3166, P < 0.001).
• A significant positive correlation was observed between SFCT and refractive error (r = 0.2393, P = 0.0002).

Conclusions:

• The study provides valuable normative SFCT data for Indian eyes using SS-OCT.
• Findings highlight the influence of axial length and refractive error on choroidal thickness.
• SS-OCT measurements of choroidal thickness may be slightly higher than those from spectral-domain OCT.