PurposeTo assess and compare choroidal thickness changes related to aging, we determined whether changes are due to thinning of the choriocapillaris plus Sattler's (CS) layer and/or the large vessel layer in healthy eyes using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) at a wavelength of 1,050-nm.MethodsWe studied 115 normal eyes of 115 healthy volunteers, all with refractive errors of less than -6 diopters. All 115 eyes underwent analysis of choroidal thickness at the fovea, the CS layer and the large choroidal vessel layer. In 68 of the 115 eyes, choroidal thickness was determined at five sites (the fovea, and superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal sites) using SS-OCT with an Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy grid scan.ResultsTotal choroidal thicknesses at each of the five sites were related to subject age (P<0.0001). The choroid was thinnest at the nasal site, followed by the temporal, inferior, superior and finally the subfoveal site itself. The total choroidal thickness at the nasal site was significantly less than those at the other four sites (p<0.05). The CS layer showed thinning which correlated with age (P<0.0001). The thickness of the choroidal large vessel layer also decreased with age (p = 0.02). Subfoveal choroidal thickness was calculated as follows: 443.89–2.98×age (μm) (P<0.0001).ConclusionSubfoveal choroidal thickness decreases by 2.98 μm each year. Total choroidal thickness diminishes with age. The CS and large vessel layers of the choroid at the subfovea showed significant decreases, though only the former correlated strongly with age.

Morphologically, FCE lesions were classified into cone-shaped, bowl-shaped, and mixed types, based on optical coherence tomography findings. Focal choroidal excavation formation may be associated in part with chorioretinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and central serous chorioretinopathy, whereas some eyes are considered to have idiopathic FCE.

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Space flight-associated neuroocular syndrome (SANS), characterized by increased optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and globe flattening, is detected in some astronauts. 1 Because inflight cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure measurement is excessively invasive, it is not realistic to conduct. We estimated CSF pressure (p CSF) during space flight based on published reports 2 and found that SANS was not caused mainly by increased p CSF but rather by brain upward shift (BUS), recently demonstrated in postflight astronauts. 3 Our findings suggest that eyes are portals into effects on the brain during space flight.