Retinal and Choroidal Changes in Children with Moderate-to-High Hyperopia.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pediatric Optometry
• Retinal Imaging

Background:

• Moderate-to-high hyperopia (MHH) is a common refractive error in children.
• Understanding ocular structure variations in MHH is crucial for early detection and management.
• Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), and choroidal thickness are key indicators of ocular health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare RNFL thickness, GCL thickness, and choroidal thickness in children with MHH versus emmetropic children.
• To identify potential correlations between refractive error, axial length, and these retinal and choroidal parameters.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 53 children with MHH (spherical equivalent refraction [SER] ≥ +4.0 D) and 53 emmetropic children (SER between -1.0 D and +1.0 D).
• Ophthalmic examinations included visual acuity, cycloplegic refraction, slit-lamp examination, axial length measurement.
• Swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) was utilized to assess RNFL, GCL, and choroidal thickness.

Main Results:

• Children with MHH showed significantly thinner RNFL and GCL in temporal and inferior macular regions compared to emmetropic children (P < 0.05).
• MHH group exhibited significantly thicker choroidal layers across all measured regions (P < 0.05).
• Spherical equivalent refraction (SER) positively correlated with choroidal thickness, while axial length negatively correlated with choroidal thickness. Axial length was also positively associated with RNFL and GCL thickness.

Conclusions:

• Children with MHH present distinct RNFL and GCL thickness characteristics compared to their emmetropic peers.
• Increased choroidal thickness is a notable finding in children with MHH.
• Axial length plays a significant role in modulating RNFL, GCL, and choroidal thickness in this pediatric population.