Retinal structure and related factors in 8-year-old Japanese children: The Yamanashi adjunct study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study
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Ryo Harada1,2, Mingxue Bao1, Natsuki Okabe1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan.
Insights
Retinal and choroidal thickness in 8-year-old Japanese children correlate with axial length and body height. These eye structure associations differ across retinal locations and layers.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Ocular Imaging
Background:
- Understanding ocular development in children is crucial for identifying potential vision impairments early.
- The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) provides a valuable cohort for investigating environmental and biological factors influencing child health.
- Investigating retinal and choroidal structures in young children can offer insights into refractive error development and progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationships between retinal and choroidal structures and associated factors in 8-year-old Japanese children.
- To identify correlations between ocular measurements (axial length, spherical equivalent) and anthropometric data (body height) with retinal/choroidal thickness.
- To explore potential sex-based differences in these ocular parameters within the study population.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 557 eight-year-old Japanese children from the JECS cohort.
- Measurements included visual acuity, spherical equivalent (SE), axial length (AL), and body height.
- Retinal and choroidal thickness were assessed using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).
Main Results:
- Mean axial length was 23.08 mm, SE was -0.35 D, and mean retinal thickness was 309.7 µm.
- All retinal layer (ARL) thickness showed a negative correlation with AL and a positive correlation with body height.
- Males exhibited greater retinal thickness than females; foveal thickness positively correlated with body height.
Conclusions:
- Retinal and choroidal structures in 8-year-old children are associated with factors like axial length, body height, and sex.
- The specific associations between ocular structures and influencing factors vary depending on the retinal site and layer.
- These findings contribute to understanding ocular development and potential risk factors for refractive errors in childhood.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among retinal/choroidal structures and associated factors in 8-year-old Japanese children who participated in the Yamanashi Adjunct Study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).
Methods:
This was a study of 557 8-year-old Japanese children (274 boys, 283 girls) who participated in the JECS at the University of Yamanashi from June 2021 to March 2022. The visual acuity, spherical equivalent (SE), axial length (AL), and body height of the participants were measured. Retinal and choroidal thickness were measured using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (NIDEK RS-3000 Advance, Gamagori, Japan).
Results:
This study included 304 participants (150 boysand 154 girls). The mean values were 23.08 ± 0.75mm for AL, -0.35 ± 0.79D for SE, and 0.08 ± 0.20 for uncorrected logMAR.The mean retinal thickness was 309.7 ± 10.9µm for all retinal layers (ARLs), 220.9 ± 15.3µm for the fovea, 134.8 ± 6.8µm for the outer retina, 76.1 ± 4.5µm for the inner retina, and 29.1 ± 2.1µm for the nerve fiber layer. The mean choroidal thickness was 301.5 ± 34.0µm. Multivariable analysis revealed that the thickness of ARLs had a significant negative correlation with AL (β=-0.20, p < 0.001) and a significant positive correlation with body height (β=0.11, p = 0.04), with males having a greater retinal thickness than females (β=-0.22, p < 0.001). Foveal thickness was significantly positively correlated with body height (β=0.13, p = 0.02) but not with AL (β=0.11, p = 0.06) or sex (β=-0.04, p = 0.55).
Conclusion:
The structures of the retina and choroid in 8-year-old Japanese children were associated with several factors, but the associations varied by retinal site and layer.
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