RETINAL AND CHOROIDAL CHANGES OF NANOPHTHALMIC EYES WITH AND WITHOUT SECONDARY GLAUCOMA.

PURPOSE: To analyze the retinal and choroidal changes and their relationship in nanophthalmic eyes quantitatively and to evaluate the influence of axial length (AL) and secondary glaucoma on the retina and choroid in these eyes.

METHODS

Thirty-seven eyes of 19 nanophthalmic patients (23 eyes with secondary glaucoma, SG group; 14 eyes without secondary glaucoma, NG group) and 38 eyes of 38 age/sex-matched controls were recruited. The retinal and choroidal changes, the foveal retinal thickness (FRT), and the subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) were measured by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT, Heidelberg). The parameters were compared between nanophthalmic eyes and controls, as well as between the NG and SG group. The relationship between AL and FRT, AL and SFCT, and FRT and SFCT were analyzed.

RESULTS

The optical coherence tomography images revealed broadened outer nuclear layer, and aberrant preservation of the inner retinal layer to different extents existed in the fovea in all nanophthalmic cases. The ganglion cell layer was found much thinner in the SG group than that of the NG group. The low-reflective areas near the outer border of the choroid in nanophthalmic eyes seemed larger than that of controls. The average FRT and SFCT of the total nanophthalmic cases were significantly thicker than those of controls (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). The FRT of the SG group was thinner than that of the NG group (P < 0.001). No significant difference was found between the SG group and NG group in SFCT (P = 0.83). Axial length was negatively related to FRT and SFCT (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). The foveal retinal thickness and SFCT were positively related (P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Retina and choroid are thickened accordantly in nanophthalmic eyes and are negatively related to AL. Secondary glaucoma could affect the FRT but would do nothing to the SFCT. The combined measurement of retina and choroid by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography provides valuable information to facilitate comprehensive understanding of the pathology of nanophthalmos and its complications in vivo.