Assessment of Macular Choroidal Thickness via Enhanced Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients With Chronic Tinnitus.

PURPOSE: This study investigates the relationship between macular choroidal thickness (CT) and chronic tinnitus using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT).

STUDY

DESIGN

This retrospective study was conducted between January 2018 and October 2022.

METHODS

A total of 372 eyes from 338 patients were analyzed, divided into tinnitus (127 eyes) and control (245 eyes) groups. Macular CT was measured subfoveally and 2 mm around the central fovea.

RESULTS

Macular CT showed significant thinning in the tinnitus group (156.4 ± 59.8 μm versus 240.3 ± 71.0 μm, p < 0.01). Specifically, subfoveal CT (SFCT) was thinner in all directions-temporal, nasal, superior, and inferior to the central fovea. CT decreased with advanced age in both groups, with the tinnitus group consistently exhibiting significantly thinner choroid compared to controls within the same age range (p < 0.05). In the control group, there was a notable correlation between myopia and thinner SFCT (p < 0.01), whereas no significant difference was observed in the tinnitus group (p = 0.984).

CONCLUSION

Our study utilized EDI-OCT as a precise tool to measure macular CT, revealing significantly thinner CT in tinnitus patients. These findings suggest that disturbances in choroidal perfusion may be related to chronic tinnitus, highlighting CT as a potential biomarker.