Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To compare retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness between pediatric and adult normal eyes using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods: Pediatric and adult subjects with normal ocular examinations were enrolled. Eyes with amblyopia, strabismus, or a refractive error greater than 5 diopters were excluded. Peripapillary circular OCT (Zeiss-Humphrey Systems Inc., Dublin, CA) scans were obtained and the mean RNFL thickness was measured. Results: Sixteen pediatric subjects (mean age 9.7 ± 2.3 (SD) years, (range 6 to 15)) were enrolled and compared to 21 adults (mean age 53.8 ± 13.1 years (range 27 to 72)). Adult subjects tended to be more myopic then the pediatric subjects (0.1 ± 3.3 vs. -1.4 ± 1.7 diopters, respectively, p=0.08, t-Test). Mean RNFL thickness was greater in children (116 ± 11 vs. 104 ± 8 microns, p<0.001) and decreased with increasing age (rs=-0.48, p=0.003, Spearman’s rank correlation). Conclusion: RNFL thickness was thicker in children than in adults. Normative RNFL thickness data may need to be stratified according to age.
Keywords: 430 imaging/image analysis: clinical • 564 retinal development • 432 imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound)