[Choroidal thickness in preschool children]

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pediatric Ophthalmology
• Optical Coherence Tomography

Background:

• Choroidal thickness (CT) is a key indicator of ocular health.
• Understanding normative CT values in children is crucial for detecting developmental abnormalities.
• Previous studies have not fully elucidated the relationship between CT, axial length, age, and gender in preschool-aged children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the normative choroidal thickness (CT) in healthy children aged 2-6 years.
• To investigate the correlation between CT, axial length, age, and gender in this pediatric cohort.
• To analyze the spatial distribution of CT across different ocular locations.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 126 healthy children aged 2-6 years.
• Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to measure CT at nine distinct locations.
• Statistical analysis, including stepwise multiple regression, was employed to assess relationships between variables.

Main Results:

• The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was 331.56±62.03 μm.
• Choroidal thickness was greatest subfoveally and temporally, and thinner nasally compared to other locations.
• Axial length and age were significantly associated with SFCT (P=0.00), while gender showed no significant effect (P=0.94).

Conclusions:

• Choroidal thickness in preschool children is negatively correlated with axial length and positively correlated with age.
• Choroidal development in early childhood appears to counteract eye expansion.
• Gender plays a minimal role in choroidal development during early childhood.