Age- and Myopia-Related 3-Dimensional Remodeling of Choroidal Thickness in Children

Purpose To investigate the three-dimensional (3D) topographic remodeling patterns of choroidal thickness (ChT) in the macular region in children, and their associations with age and myopia related ocular growth. Design Cross-sectional, population-based study. Participants A total of 3508 children (mean age 13.6±3.0 years, range 7-18 years, 47.7% male). Methods Spectral-domain OCT with a 31-horizontal B-scan protocol was performed on right eyes. ChT in each B-scan was automatically segmented and quantified using modified open-source deep learning algorithms (Choroidalyzer). For each eye, a 3D ChT map covering 6×6 mm macular region and composed of 12×12 grids centered on fovea was generated, and both mean thickness and grid-specific thickness values were calculated. Main outcome Measures ChT of each grid, cluster, and macular region; correlation with age, axial length (AL), and sex. Results The mean ChT was 271.8±56.1 μm, with significant variations across non-myopia, low, moderate, and high myopia groups ( P