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Retinal and Optic Disc Findings in Adolescence: A Population-Based OCT Study

¹From the Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; the ²Vision Co-operative Research Centre, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; and ³The First Teaching Hospital, Inner Mongolia Medical College, Huhhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China.

PURPOSE. To examine the distribution of macular and peripapillary nerve fiber layer (NFL) thickness and optic disc parameters in early-adolescence Australian children and to compare these with previously reported findings in younger children.

METHODS. The Sydney Childhood Eye Study is a population-based cross-sectional survey of children’s eye health. During 2004 and 2005, 2367 (75.3%) of 3144 eligible year 7 students from a random cluster sample of 21 secondary schools in Sydney, Australia, were examined. The comprehensive eye examination included measurement of macular and NFL thickness and optic disc parameters by optical coherence tomography (StratusOCT; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA).

RESULTS. Macular, NFL thickness, and optic disc parameters were normally distributed in early-adolescence children. Mean (±SD) thicknesses of the central 1 mm, and inner and outer macular rings were 197.4 ± 18.7, 271.9 ± 15.0, and 239.5 ± 13.5 µm, respectively. The foveal minimum thickness was 161.6 ± 19.9 µm. The mean (±SD) of average NFL thickness was 103.6 ± 10.6 µm. Mean (±SD) vertical and horizontal disc diameters were 1.88 ± 0.25 and 1.61 ± 0.20 mm; corresponding cup-to-disc ratios were 0.39 ± 0.14 and 0.44 ± 0.16. There were minimal sex differences in these parameters after adjustment for multiple ocular and demographic variables. Compared with parameters in the childhood group, the macula was generally slightly thicker and the optic disc slightly larger in the early-adolescence group, although differences between these two age groups were small. The foveal minimum and NFL thickness were similar between the two age groups.

CONCLUSIONS. This study describes the normative distribution of macular, NFL, and optic disc parameters in early-adolescence children and also demonstrates minimal differences between the sexes. These parameters were also largely unchanged between early childhood and early adolescence, although the comparisons were made in two cross-sectional samples, rather than from longitudinal measures.