Longitudinal Changes in Choroidal Thickness and Eye Growth in Childhood
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Alonso-Caneiro, David
Vincent, Stephen J
Collins, Michael J
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Abstract
PURPOSE. To examine longitudinal changes in choroidal thickness and axial length in a population of children with a range of refractive errors. Methods. One hundred and one children (41 myopes and 60 nonmyopes) aged 10 to 15 years participated in this prospective, observational longitudinal study. For each child, 6-month measures of choroidal thickness (using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography) and axial ocular biometry were collected four times over an 18-month period. Linear mixed-models were used to examine the longitudinal changes in choroidal thickness and the relationship between changes in choroidal thickness and axial eye growth over the study period. Results. A significant group mean increase in subfoveal choroidal thickness was observed over 18 months (mean increase 13 ± 22 µm, P < 0.001). Myopic children exhibited significantly thinner choroids compared with nonmyopic children (P < 0.001), although there was no significant time by refractive group interaction (P = 0.46), indicating similar changes in choroidal thickness over time in myopes and nonmyopes. However, a significant association between the change in choroidal thickness and the change in axial length over time was found (P < 0.001, β = – 0.14). Children showing faster axial eye growth exhibited significantly less choroidal thickening over time compared with children showing slower axial eye growth. Conclusions. A significant increase in choroidal thickness occurs over an 18-month period in normal 10- to 15-year-old children. Children undergoing faster axial eye growth exhibited less thickening and, in some cases, a thinning of the choroid. These findings support a potential role for the choroid in the mechanisms regulating eye growth in childhood.
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Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
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56
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5
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Biological sciences
Biomedical and clinical sciences
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Ophthalmology
choroid
childhood
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Read, SA; Alonso-Caneiro, D; Vincent, SJ; Collins, MJ, Longitudinal Changes in Choroidal Thickness and Eye Growth in Childhood, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2015, 56 (5), pp. 3103-3112