Abstract:
To establish normative values of the retina in the pediatric population using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Prospective clinical trial of healthy children with no ocular disease. Patients were recruited from an outpatient ophthalmology office and received full eye examinations including a dilated fundus examination prior to enrolling. Children meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria then underwent OCT scans examining macular thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness. Institutional review board approval was obtained prior to the initiation of the study and written consents were obtained from all parents of patients.
Eighteen patients between the ages of 6 and 13 were recruited. Both eyes were examined for each patient, but scans of low quality were excluded from the study. Thirty–two eyes were scanned for macular thickness and 25 eyes for RNFL thickness. The average retinal thickness values are found in the table below.
This study demonstrates normative values of retinal and RNFL thickness in the pediatric age group. These values differ from adults in that children tend to have thicker maculas than adults. The average RNFL thickness is comparable to adults. These normative values may help to better evaluate children with macular disease or childhood glaucoma.