Choroidal Characteristics in 3- to 16-Year-Old Chinese Patients, Measured by Swept-Source OCT/OCT Angiography
1Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to investigate choroidal structural and vascular characteristics in children aged 3 to 16 years using OCT angiography (OCTA) and to explore their associations with refractive status, axial length (AL), and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA).
Design:
Cross sectional observational study.
Subjects:
A total of 656 eyes (360 children) were included in this study, comprising 143 myopic eyes, 151 emmetropic eyes, and 362 hyperopic eyes.
Methods:
Ocular biometric measurements, including BCVA, AL, and spherical equivalent (SE) were recorded. Choroidal metrics, including choroidal thickness (ChT), choriocapillaris perfusion (CC), choroidal vascularity index (CVI), choroidal vessel volume (CVV) and choroidal perfusion (CP) were derived from OCTA imaging. Statistical analyses included trend analysis by age, linear regression for AL and OCTA parameter correlations, and group comparisons (hyperopia vs. emmetropia vs. myopia).
Main Outcome Measures:
Primary outcomes were choroidal parameters and their correlations with AL and BCVA.
Results:
In this cohort, mean age was 6.9 ± 2.4 years old. Mean BCVA was 0.06 ± 0.09, and SE was 1.22 ± 2.44 diopters. Axial length ranged from 18.95 to 25.95 mm. The mean ChT was 358 ± 82 μm. Mean CC was 0.68 ± 0.09 mm2 and mean CP was 0.79 ± 0.01 mm2. Mean CVI was 36% ± 7%, and CVV was 0.09 ± 0.02 mm3. Choroidal thickness and CVV were negatively correlated with AL, whereas CVI increased with AL elongation. Choroidal vascularity index value was lower in hyperopic group than emmetropic and myopic groups (34 ± 8% vs. 37±5% vs. 37±%), whereas CVV was highest in hyperopic group (0.10 ± 0.03 vs. 0.09 ± 0.02 vs. 0.08 ± 0.02). Stepwise linear regression revealed a statistically significant inverse association between CP and BCVA (β = -0.115, P = 0.045), after adjusting for age, SE, AL, and gender.
Conclusions:
Choroidal parameters exhibited distinct developmental patterns and strong associations with refractive status and AL elongation in children during growth. Choroidal perfusion independently correlates with visual acuity. These findings highlight the choroid's role in pediatric ocular development and suggest its utility in monitoring myopia progression.
Financial Disclosures:
The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
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