Macular Thickness Profiles Of Individual Retinal Layers In Myopia As Measured By Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

PURPOSETo evaluate the thickness of individual retinal layers and their variation profiles in myopic eyes of working people using SD-OCT and to assess its association with spherical equivalent(SE).METHODSA total of 369 eyes of 369 subjects(172 male and 197 female),ranging in age from 22 to 49 years,were recruited in this study.The subjects were divided into groups:emmetropia(n=150),low myopia(n=51),moderate myopia(n=139),and high myopia(n=29).The macular region was divided into three parts:the fovea,pericentral,and peripheral regions.The mean regional retinal thicknesses of eight layers were obtained automatically.Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software(Version 21.0;SPSS Inc,Chicago,IL).All data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation;one-way ANOVA was used to identify the differences for each parameter among the emmetropia,low myopia,moderate myopia,and high myopia groups.Pearson correlation analysis was used to identify the correlations between individual retinal layer thickness and the SER for all included subjects.The level of for a P-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTSIn the fovea,the RT did not vary with the degree of myopia(P=0.70);however,the PRL thickness was thinner in the myopic groups(P<0.05).In the pericentral and peripheral regions,the RT decreased with deepening degree of myopia(P<0.05,respectively):all layers except the ONL showed changes in thickness in the myopic groups.In the pericentral region,thinner INL,PRL,and RPE layers existed in the myopic groups(P<0.05).In the peripheral region,the thickness of the RNFL,GCL,IPL,INL,OPL,and RPE were thinner in the myopic groups(P<0.05,respectively).In the fovea,the PRL thickness was positively correlated with SER(r=0.114,P=0.03).The RT of the pericentral and peripheral region were positively correlated with SER(r=0.186 and 0.189,respectively,P<0.05).In the pericentral region,the thickness of GCL,INL,ONL,RPE,PRL were positively correlated with SER(0.115<r<0.212,P<0.05);In the peripheral region,the thickness of RNFL,GCL,IPL,INL,and OPL were significantly correlated with the SER(0.169<r<0.292,P<0.05).CONCLUSIONSThe thickness of individual retinal layers was revealed to be associated significantly with myopic degree in the cohort.Variables affecting macular thickness should be considered in the clinical assessment of the structural changes in the macular region.