Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026
In vivo Structural Assessments of Ocular Disease in Rodent Models using Optical Coherence Tomography
Published on: July 24, 2020
Assessing visual and refractive outcomes of subretinal fluid detected by handheld swept-source optical coherence
Debbie X Wang1, Amanda R Hoyer2, Claire J Park3
1University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington.
Background:
Healthy, full-term newborns frequently present with foveal subretinal fluid (SRF), reported to spontaneously resolve within 1-4 months. The purpose of this study was to evaluate refractive and visual outcomes of SRF.
Methods:
In this prospective, single-institution study, healthy full-term infants were imaged using handheld swept-source optical coherence tomography between 12-72 hours after birth. OCT macular volumes were graded for SRF and foveal immaturity parameters. Participants returned at 9 months and 5 years for visual acuity and cycloplegic refraction assessments.
Results:
Of the 96 eyes (50 infants) imaged, 15 eyes (16%) of 10 infants had SRF. Eyes with SRF demonstrated greater central foveal thickness than those without SRF (202 ± 51 mm vs 149 ± 23 mm [P < 0.001]). No significant differences were found in inner or outer fovea/parafovea ratio, foveal or parafoveal choroidal thicknesses, or central neuroretinal thickness (P > 0.09). Mean spherical equivalent refraction was similar between groups at 9 months (1.71 ± 1.05 vs 1.53 ± 1.04 D [P = 0.88]; n = 29 eyes) and 5 years (0.63 ± 0.53 vs 1.79 ± 0.90 [P = 0.20]; n = 35 eyes). Mean logMAR visual acuities were similar between groups at 9 months (0.91 ± 0.36 vs 0.72 ± 0.19 [P = 0.62]) and 5 years (0.09 ± 0.12 vs 0.08 ± 0.10 [P = 0.75]).
Conclusions:
In this small cohort, SRF in full-term newborns was not associated with foveal immaturity at birth or with negative refractive or visual outcomes up to 5 years. These results suggest that SRF is likely transient and benign.
