Abstract
Purpose: :
To establish normative values of macular thickness and volume in healthy eyes of children using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT, Heidelberg-Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) in dependence on gender, age and refraction.
Methods: :
A total of 84 children (41 female, 43 male), aged 2-18 years, were randomly chosen from the outpatient department of the University Eye Clinic. After clinical eye examination children with no ocular pathologies were examined with SD-OCT. A volumetric assessment of the central retinal structures consisting of 25 single horizontal axial scans was performed (scanning area 6x6 mm centered at the fovea). Only children with visual acuity <0.2 logMAR, spherical equivalent of -2.5 to +2.5D and astigmatism <3D were included. In 78 (92.9%) children single scans of good quality could be performed. Mean values for the nine ETDRS areas, foveal minimum and maximum thickness and macular volume could be calculated for 54 (64.3%) eyes because of the inability to obtain good quality macular volume scan.
Results: :
Thickness measurements of the central, inner and outer macular regions, as well as the central macular volume were normally distributed. Mean (+/-SD) thicknesses of the central 1 mm, and temporal, nasal, superior and inferior inner macular regions were 270.54 +/- 18.1, 333.57 +/- 13.5, 349.31 +/- 14.1, 348.20 +/- 13.8 and 344.52 +/- 13.9 µm, respectively. The foveal minimum thickness was 218.93 +/- 15.4 µm, the foveal maximum thickness 319.20 +/- 21.6 µm. Only foveal minimum thickness correlated positively with age. No correlations with gender or refraction were found.
Conclusions: :
Except for the foveal minimum thickness macular OCT parameters were unchanged from early childhood to adolescence. Normative pediatric OCT data is important to correctly assess pediatric macular diseases with OCT.
Keywords: macula/fovea • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • imaging/image analysis: clinical