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Choroidal thickness postural changes in healthy young adults
Maddalena De Bernardo1, Marco Gioia2, Andrea Valerio Marino3
1Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Baronissi, SA, Italy.
Scientific Reports
|July 18, 2026
Summary
Choroidal thickness (ChT) significantly decreases when healthy adults stand up from a sitting position. This postural change may relate to the baroreceptor reflex, suggesting potential biomarker applications for autonomic nervous system diseases.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Choroidal thickness (ChT) is a key ocular parameter.
- Postural changes can influence physiological measurements.
- Understanding ChT variations is important for ocular health assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in choroidal thickness (ChT) between sitting and standing positions in healthy young adults.
- To determine if postural variations affect ocular hemodynamics.
Main Methods:
- 100 healthy young adults (56 males, 44 females) underwent ocular examinations.
- Choroidal thickness (ChT), axial length (AL), and intraocular pressure (IOP) were measured.
- ChT was measured in both sitting and standing positions using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Main Results:
- A statistically significant decrease in subfoveal, nasal, and temporal ChT was observed when moving from sitting to standing.
- Mean subfoveal ChT decreased from 279 μm to 267 μm (p < 0.001).
- Mean nasal ChT decreased from 224 μm to 214 μm (p < 0.001), and temporal ChT from 287 μm to 275 μm (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Postural changes from sitting to standing induce a significant thinning of the choroid in healthy young adults.
- The underlying physiological mechanism may involve the baroreceptor reflex.
- Further research is warranted to explore ChT variation as a potential biomarker for autonomic nervous system disorders like Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and Parkinson's Disease (PD).