Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Normal Chinese Students Aged 6 to 17 Years

PURPOSE. We obtained retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements in normal Chinese students aged 6 to 17 years, and investigated the relationship between RNFL thickness and sex, eye laterality, age, axial length, and refractive error. METHODS. A total of 4648 eyes in 2324 normal, randomly-selected Chinese students aged 6 to 17 years was examined in this study. The RNFL thickness was measured by optical coherence tomography. The effects of sex, eye laterality (left or right), age, refractive error, and axial length on RNFL thickness were assessed. RESULTS. The average age of the subjects was 12.82 +/- 3.11 years. The global average RNFL thickness (+/- SD) was 106.89 +/- 12.84 mu m. The thickest RNFL measurements were found at the superior (133.22 +/- 19.48 mu m) and inferior (129.23 +/- 20.30 mu m) quadrants of the retina, followed by the temporal (93.58 +/- 29.15 mu m) and nasal (77.10 +/- 14.89 mu m) quadrants. In the 1529 participants aged 12 to 17, there were no significant differences in RNFL thickness values between the right and left eyes (P > 0.05); significant differences in RNFL were found only in the inferior and temporal quadrants of the retina in different sex groups (P < 0.05). Linear regression analysis revealed that the RNFL thickness values were correlated independently with axial length and refractive error (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS. For clinical assessment of RNFL thickness, the influence of refractive error and axial length should be taken into account.