Choroidal thickness and choriocapillaris vascular density in myopic anisometropia

BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine interocular differences in the choroidal thickness and vascular density of the choriocapillaris in anisometropic myopes and to further explore the relationship between choroidal blood flow and myopia. METHODS: The sample comprised 44 participants with anisometropic myopia, aged 9 to 18 years, with normal best-corrected visual acuity. All participants underwent a series of examinations, including spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and axial length (AL), measured by a Lenstar optical biometer and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) scanner. OCT measured the choroidal thickness, vascular density, and flow voids of the choriocapillaris, and a customized algorithm was implemented in MATLAB R2017a with the post-correction of AL. The choroidal thickness was measured at the fovea and 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 mm nasally, temporally, inferiorly, and superiorly to the fovea. The vascular density and the flow voids of the choriocapillaris were measured at a 0.6-mm-diameter central circle, and the 0.6-2.5 mm diameter circle in the nasal, temporal, inferior, and superior regions. Repeated-measured ANOVAs were used to analyze the interocular differences. Partial correlations with the K value and age adjustments were used to study the relationships between the choroidal thickness, the choriocapillaris vascular density and flow voids, the SER and AL. RESULTS: The choroidal thickness of the more myopic eyes was significantly thinner than less myopic eyes (P ≤ 0.001), and the flow voids in the more myopic eyes were more than less myopic eyes (P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in the vascular density of the choriocapillaris between the more and less myopic eyes (P = 0.525). However, when anisometropia was more than 1.50 D, the vascular density of choriocapillaris in the more myopic eyes was significantly less than the less myopic eyes (P = 0.026). The interocular difference of the choroidal thickness was significantly correlated with the interocular difference in SER and AL in the center, superior, and inferior regions but not in the nasal or temporal regions. The interocular differences of the vascular density and the flow voids of the choriocapillaris were not correlated with the interocular difference of SER and AL. CONCLUSIONS: The choroidal thickness is thinner in the more myopic eyes. The flow void is increased, and the vascular density of the choriocapillaris is reduced in the more myopic eyes of children with anisometropia exceeding 1.50 D.