Retinal thickness and the microvascular system measurements of myopic children assessed with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA)

Yutong LuQi Zhao^*

• Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China

Purpose: To use optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to evaluate the thickness of the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), full retinal layer (FRL), and the ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) and measure superficial vessel density (SVD) in children with different degrees of myopia. The study also examined the correlation among these measurements , axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent refraction (SER). Methods: The study performed OCTA in 216 children aged 5-17 years treated at the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University. The children were divided into four groups based on their SER (low myopia, moderate myopia, high myopia, and emmetropia). Each child underwent OCTA assessment to assess the thickness of the FRL, RNFL, GCIPL, and SVD. Results: There were significant differences in the parameters among the four groups. The distribution of RNFL thickness varied with the groups, with the RNFL thickness of the superior area being the greatest in the emmetropia and low myopia groups, while the RNFL thickness of the inferior area was greatest in the moderate and high myopia groups. In all the children, the FRL thickness of the perifoveal area was smaller than that of the parafovea area. In the horizontal direction, the RNFL and GCIPL thickness of the superior area was greater than that of the inferior area. In the vertical direction, the RNFL thickness of the temporal area was greater than that of the nasal area, while the GCIPL thickness was almost symmetrically distributed.The OCTA results showed that the thickness of the FRL, RNFL, GCIPL, and the SVD correlated with AL and SER, and there were no significant effects of sex and age on individual parameters. The degree of correlation was most significant in the high myopia group. Therefore, we consider that retinal thickness and blood flow status are good indicators of different degrees of myopia and provide more valid evidence for differentiating among myopia, glaucoma and other diseases.