Profile of peripheral refraction, choroidal thickness, and its correlation with refraction among children with myopia

Purpose: Relative peripheral refraction (RPR) and choroidal thickness (ChT) are two of the important components associated with the progression of myopia. There is a paucity of knowledge on the distribution profile of these components among Indian children. Methods: This is a prospective cross-sectional study involving 58 participants of age group 6–12 years. Axial length (ARGOS, Suntec, Inc., Aichi, Japan), peripheral refraction (WAM-5500, Grand Seiko CO. LTD., Hiroshima, Japan), and ChT (Deep Range Imaging, OCT-1, Atlantis, Topcon, Tokyo, Japan) of myopic children (−1.00 to −6.00 D) were assessed. Both RPR and ChT were assessed up to 20° at nasal and temporal eccentricities. Results: The RPR showed mean hyperopia at both nasal and temporal 20° eccentricities (mean ± SD; 20° nasal: +0.30 ± 1.36 D; temporal 20°: +1.24 ± 1.52 D), and the difference in refraction was significant with temporal 20° showing higher hyperopic refraction compared to nasal 20° (−0.94 ± 1.94 D, P < 0.01). Thinning of the choroid was observed from center to periphery at temporal 20°: 213.04 ± 65.22 µm and nasal 20°: 136.78 ± 37.46 µm eccentricities compared to the sub-foveal ChT 270.18 ± 67.10 µm. A positive correlation between the peripheral refraction and peripheral ChT was observed. Conclusion: Indian myopic children had hyperopic RPR along the horizontal meridian and thinning of the choroid from the center (SFCT) to the periphery. There is a positive relation between these two parameters.