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Outer Retinal Layers' Thickness Changes in relation to Age and Choroidal Thickness in Normal Eyes
Mona Kamal Abdellatif1, Yasser Abdelmaguid Mohamed Elzankalony1, Ahmed Abdelmonsef Abdelhamid Ebeid1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Journal of Ophthalmology
|August 31, 2019
Summary
Age significantly thins the retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptor outer segment (RPE-OS) layer and choroidal thickness (CT) in normal eyes. Age is the primary factor driving RPE-OS thinning, more so than choroidal thinning.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Retinal Imaging
- Gerontology
Background:
- Age-related changes in retinal layers and choroidal thickness are crucial for understanding ocular health.
- Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is a key technology for in vivo imaging of these structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify age-related variations in outer retinal layers and choroidal thickness (CT) in healthy individuals.
- To determine the correlation between these anatomical changes and age.
- To identify factors influencing these age-related modifications.
Main Methods:
- An observational cross-sectional study involving 125 healthy Egyptian participants aged 20-79 years.
- Participants were categorized into three age groups: 20-40, 40-60, and over 60 years.
- SD-OCT with enhanced depth imaging was used to measure retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptor outer segment (RPE-OS), outer nuclear layer and photoreceptor inner segment (ONL-IS), and choroidal thickness (CT).
Main Results:
- Significant thinning of RPE-OS and CT was observed with increasing age (P < 0.001).
- Age showed a strong negative correlation with both RPE-OS (r = -0.345) and CT (r = -0.725).
- ONL-IS thickness did not show a significant correlation with age (r = -0.08).
- Multiple regression analysis identified age as the most significant determinant of RPE-OS thickness (β = -0.087, P = 0.010).
Conclusions:
- Outer retinal layers, specifically RPE-OS, and choroidal thickness significantly decrease with advancing age.
- Age is the predominant factor contributing to the thinning of the RPE-OS layer, outweighing the influence of choroidal thinning.
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