Evaluation of choroidal thickness using enhanced depth imaging by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the choroidal thickness using optical coherence tomography in the eyes of patients with unilateral and bilateral pseudoexfoliation syndrome and to compare them with healthy controls.

Methods: We studied four groups: (1) affected eyes from 30 patients with unilateral PEX syndrome affecting the right eye of 17 patients and the left eye of 13 patients; (2) clinically unaffected eyes of 30 patients with unilateral PEX syndrome; (3) the eyes of 30 patients with bilateral PEX syndrome; and (4) the eyes of 30 normal healthy subjects. Choroidal thickness was evaluated using high-speed, high-resolution enhanced depth imaging by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Optical coherence tomography features were compared in all groups using the statistical package SPSS v 15.0.

Results: The mean subfoveal choroidal thicknesses were 237.35±58.01 μm in group 1; 330.75±47.84 μm in group 2; 206.3±86.75 μm in group 3; and 311.8±51.42 μm in group 4. Significant differences in the mean subfoveal choroidal thickness were found between groups 1 and 2 (P<0.001), groups 1 and 4 (P=0.004), groups 2 and 3 (P<0.001), and groups 3 and 4 (P<0.001).

Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that clinically affected eyes of patients with PEX syndrome have significantly thinner choroids compared with the clinically unaffected eyes of patients with unilateral PEX syndrome and eyes of healthy controls.

Figures

Figure 1

T-1500: Choroidal thickness at 1500 μm temporal to the fovea; T-1000: Choroidal thickness at 1000 μm temporal to the fovea; T-500: Choroidal thickness at 500 μm temporal to the fovea; F: Choroidal thickness at fovea; N-500: Choroidal thickness at 500 μm nasal to the fovea; N-1000: Choroidal thickness at 1000 μm nasal to the fovea.

Figure 2

Choroidal thickness measurements by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography in right eye (a) and left eye (b) of a patient with bilateral PEX syndrome and in the unaffected eye (c) and affected eye (d) of a patient with unilateral PEX syndrome.