Choroidal Thickness Analysis in Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

Abstract

We analyzed the choroidal thickness in the subfoveal area and area of retinal detachment (RD) in monocular primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) patients and compared the RD eye with the fellow eye. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed, optical coherence tomography data of both eyes at the first visit in patients who underwent surgery for monocular RRD from January 2013 to December 2016. Choroidal thickness was examined manually in the subfoveal and RD areas by two independent ophthalmologists; subjects without data from at least one of the two investigators were excluded. Results: Ninety-five subjects were included in this study. Of the 95 RD eyes, 61 (64.2%) and 44 (46.3%) eyes showed macula and fovea invasion, respectively. The subfoveal choroidal thickness was statistically significant in the RD eye compared with the fellow eye (244.7 ± 79.0 µm vs. 220.1 ± 78.9 µm; p < 0.001). Moreover, the choroidal thickness of the RD area in the RD eye was thicker compared with the non-detachment area and corresponding area in the fellow eye (273.8 ± 53.4 µm vs. 215.2 ± 44.0 µm and 233.3 ± 56.7 µm, respectively; p < 0.001). Conclusions: In the primary RRD eye, the choroidal thickness in the detachment area was thicker than that of the fellow eye. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanism of choroidal thickness change and its impact on RD.