Macular Choroidal Thickness In Eyes With Inferior Posterior Staphyloma

Abstract

Purpose: : To study the macular choroidal thickness in eyes with inferior posterior staphyloma using swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) at longer wavelength.

Methods: : The macular area of 36 eyes of 26 patients with inferior posterior staphyloma was prospectively studied with an SS-OCT prototype system. This prototype SS-OCT system employs a tunable laser as a light source operated at 100,000 Hz A-scan repetition rate in 1 μm wavelength region. Using a raster scan protocol with 512 × 128 A scans, we produced a choroidal thickness map of the macula area (6 x 6 mm). By applying the grid used by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study to this map, the mean choroidal thickness and volume in each sector was calculated.

Results: : Thirty six eyes (26 patients) with inferior posterior staphyloma were included in the study; mean age 67.1±12.0 years, mean refractive error was -2.71±1.99 diopter, mean axial length was 24.78 mm and tilted disc was found in 29 (80.5%) eyes. Macular complications were choroidal neovascular membrane in 8 (22.2%) eyes, serous retinal detachment in 7 (19.4%) eyes and pigment epithelial detachment only in 2 (5.5%) eyes. SSOCT allowed visualization of the fine structures of the choroid as well as retina in all subjects. The choroid in the inferior quadrant (106.9 ± 51.2 µm) was significantly thinner, compared to superior quadrant (172.4 ± 71.9 µm, P < 0.001). The choroid in the temporal quadrant (148.5 ± 77.0 µm) was significantly thicker, compared to the nasal quadrant (88.2 ± 37.8 µm, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: : Eyes with inferior posterior staphyloma have an asymmetric nature of macular choroidal thickness, which may be associated with the ocular complications.

Keywords: choroid • myopia • imaging/image analysis: clinical