Determination of iris thickness development in children using swept-source anterior-segment optical coherence...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pediatric Ophthalmology
• Anterior Segment Imaging

Background:

• The development of the iris and ciliary body, anterior components of the uvea, in children is not fully understood.
• Understanding ocular development in children is crucial for diagnosing and managing various eye conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate iris thickness (IT) in children using swept-source anterior-segment optical coherence tomography (ASOCT).
• To analyze the association between IT and age, sex, and ocular morphological parameters in a pediatric cohort.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 41 children (aged 3-16 years) with normal or mild refractive error.
• Measurement of iris thickness at 1 and 2 mm from the pupil edge using swept-source ASOCT.
• Assessment of correlations between IT and ocular parameters (axial length, corneal curvature, anterior chamber depth, etc.) via Pearson's correlation and linear regression.

Main Results:

• Average IT at 1 mm was 0.432 ± 0.060 mm and at 2 mm was 0.337 ± 0.045 mm.
• Significant positive correlation found between age and average IT (r=0.45 at 1 mm, P=0.002; r=0.31 at 2 mm, P=0.042).
• Predictors of IT included age, axial length, corneal curvature, anterior chamber depth, and sex.

Conclusions:

• Iris thickness in children increases with age.
• IT is influenced by ocular morphology: thinner with longer axial length and in males, thicker with deeper anterior chambers and flatter corneal curvature.
• Findings contribute to understanding eyeball structure development in children.