Profile of peripheral refraction, choroidal thickness, and its correlation with refraction among children with myopia.

PURPOSE: Relative peripheral refraction (RPR) and choroidal thickness (ChT) are two of the important components associated with the progression of myopia. There is a paucity of knowledge on the distribution profile of these components among Indian children.

METHODS

This is a prospective cross-sectional study involving 58 participants of age group 6-12 years. Axial length (ARGOS, Suntec, Inc., Aichi, Japan), peripheral refraction (WAM-5500, Grand Seiko CO. LTD., Hiroshima, Japan), and ChT (Deep Range Imaging, OCT-1, Atlantis, Topcon, Tokyo, Japan) of myopic children (-1.00 to -6.00 D) were assessed. Both RPR and ChT were assessed up to 20° at nasal and temporal eccentricities.

RESULTS

The RPR showed mean hyperopia at both nasal and temporal 20° eccentricities (mean ± SD; 20° nasal: +0.30 ± 1.36 D; temporal 20°: +1.24 ± 1.52 D), and the difference in refraction was significant with temporal 20° showing higher hyperopic refraction compared to nasal 20° (-0.94 ± 1.94 D, P < 0.01). Thinning of the choroid was observed from center to periphery at temporal 20°: 213.04 ± 65.22 µm and nasal 20°: 136.78 ± 37.46 µm eccentricities compared to the sub-foveal ChT 270.18 ± 67.10 µm. A positive correlation between the peripheral refraction and peripheral ChT was observed.

CONCLUSION

Indian myopic children had hyperopic RPR along the horizontal meridian and thinning of the choroid from the center (SFCT) to the periphery. There is a positive relation between these two parameters.