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Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness is Independently Associated with Axial Length and Myopia in Preschool Children: A
Xiaolan Xie1, Xin Wang1, Shuting Wen1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Tongzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Beijing, Beijing, 101101, China.
Introduction:
The current study assessed subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in Chinese preschool children using swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) and evaluated its associations with age, sex, axial length, refractive status, family history of myopia, and corneal curvature.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional observational study, 303 eyes of 303 preschool children with no ocular diseases underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examinations, including cycloplegic refraction. SFCT was measured using swept-source OCT. Factors affecting changes in SFCT were analyzed using a general linear model.
Results:
The mean SFCT was 326.33 ± 43.01 μm (range 198.67-438.33 μm) in children aged 3-6 years. The myopic group had significantly thinner SFCT than the emmetropic group (305.66 ± 41.18 μm vs. 347.41 ± 33.68 μm; p < 0.05). After adjusting for covariates, SFCT remained significantly lower in the myopic group (317.23 μm vs. 338.42 μm; mean difference: 21.19 μm, 95% confidence interval 7.09-35.28 μm). Myopia significantly affected SFCT (F = 8.75, p = 0.003, η2 = 0.029). SFCT was positively correlated with spherical equivalent refraction (β = 6.47, p = 0.036) and negatively associated with axial length, particularly in the myopic group (β = - 10.29, p = 0.023). There were no significant differences in SFCT associated with age group, sex, or family history of myopia (all p > 0.05).
Conclusion:
In preschool children, myopia is associated with significantly thinner SFCT, which is independently influenced by spherical equivalent refraction and axial length, but not by age, sex, or family history of myopia. These findings suggest that SFCT may serve as a responsive indicator of early myopic changes in preschoolers, though longitudinal studies are needed to determine its temporal relationship with axial elongation.