Macular Choroidal Thickness Profile in a Healthy Population Measured by Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography

PURPOSE. To determine choroidal thickness (CT) profile in a healthy population using sweptsource optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). METHODS. This was a cross-sectional, noninterventional study. A total of 276 eyes (spherical equivalent 63 diopters [D]) were scanned with SS-OCT. Horizontal CT profile of the macula was created measuring subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) from the posterior edge of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) to the choroid-sclera junction. Three determinations were performed at successive points 1000 mu m nasal and five more temporal to the fovea. Subjects were divided into five age groups. RESULTS. The mean SFCT was 301.89 +/- 80.53 mu m (95% confidence interval: 292.34-311.43). The mean horizontal macular choroidal thickness (MCT) was 258.69 +/- 64.59 mu m (95% confidence interval: 251.04-266.35). No difference in CT was found between men and women. Mean SFCT of the different study groups was 325.6 +/- 51.1 (0-10 years), 316.7 +/- 90.1 (11-20 years), 313.9 +/- 80.3 (21-40 years), 264.6 +/- 79.3 (41-60 years), and 276.3 +/- 88.8 mu m in subjects older than 60 years (P < 0.001; ANOVA test). Mean horizontal MCT was 286.0 +/- 43.5, 277.7 +/- 68.2, 264.0 +/- 61.9, 223.4 +/- 62.2, and 229.7 +/- 66.1 lm, respectively (P < 0.001; ANOVA test). The CT profile was different for each age group. CONCLUSIONS. To our knowledge, this is the first population study of CT of healthy eyes across a broad range of age groups using SS-OCT. As has been determined using spectral-domain OCT, CT decreases with advancing age, especially after age 40. There were no differences due to sex. The greatest CT variation takes place in temporal sectors.