Choroidal thickness in healthy Egyptians and its correlation with age

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate choroidal thickness in healthy Egyptians and its correlation with age. Patients and methods This cross-sectional study included 134 eyes of 89 healthy Egyptians who were divided into three age groups: group 1, 20–40 years old; group 2, 40–60 years old; and group 3, more than 60 years old. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography using enhanced depth imaging was used to calculate choroidal thickness map in the macular area. Eyes with high myopia and hyperopia were excluded. Results The mean (±SD) central choroidal thickness was 337.23±37.51, 285.29±31.23, and 270.24±22.37 µm in groups 1, 2, and 3 consecutively (P<0.001). The choroidal thickness was highest in the central 1 mm zone, followed by the superior quadrant, and the thinnest quadrant was the nasal one in the three groups. Regression analysis showed significant choroidal thickening in group 1 (B=4.941, P=0.001), nonsignificant thinning in group 2 (B=−0.301, P=0.739), and significant thinning in group 3 (B=−3.774, P=0.001). Conclusion Choroidal thickness varies significantly with age. Significant choroidal thinning starts in the fifth decade of life, but is more statistically significant after the age of 60 years. This proves that choroidal thinning is not fixed in all age groups.

Keywords

• age
• choroidal thickness
• enhanced depth imaging
• optical coherence tomography