J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2017 Aug;58(8):960-967. 10.3341/jkos.2017.58.8.960.

Choroidal Thickness in Thyroid-associated Ophthalmopathy between Normal Tension Glaucoma Using Optical Coherence Tomography

• Lee BY
• La TY
• Choi JA

• KMID: 2388185
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2017.58.8.960

Abstract

PURPOSE
To compare the macular choroidal thickness in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) with those with normal tension glaucoma (NTG).
METHODS
A total of 70 normal eyes, 74 eyes with TAO and 60 eyes with NTG were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) (Cirrus HD-OCT, Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc., Dublin, CA, USA). Macular choroidal thickness was assessed using enhanced depth imaging. The average macular choroidal thickness was defined as the average value of three measurements: at the fovea and at the points located 1.5 mm in the nasal and temporal directions from the fovea. Generalized estimating equations were used to uncover factors affecting the average macular choroidal thickness.
RESULTS
The average, superior and inferior quadrant retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses were significantly thinner in the NTG group compared with the TAO and control groups (p < 0.001). The average macular choroidal thickness of the TAO group, NTG group and controls was 281.01 ± 60.06 µm, 241.66 ± 55.00 µm and 252.07 ± 55.05 µm, respectively, which were significantly different (p = 0.013). The subfoveal, nasal and temporal side choroidal thicknesses were significantly thinner in the NTG group compared with the TAO group (p = 0.014, 0.012 and 0.034, respectively). Subjects with TAO were associated with a thicker average macular choroidal thickness compared with the NTG group after adjusting for age, sex, spherical equivalent and intraocular pressure (β = 32.61, p = 0.017).
CONCLUSIONS
Macular choroidal thickness was significantly thicker in patients with TAO compared with those with NTG. Further evaluation is required to determine if a thick choroid in subjects with TAO has any role in glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

Keyword

Macular choroidal thickness; Normal tension glaucoma; Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy

MeSH Terms

Choroid*
Graves Ophthalmopathy*
Humans
Intraocular Pressure
Low Tension Glaucoma*
Nerve Fibers
Optic Nerve Diseases
Retinaldehyde
Tomography, Optical Coherence*
Troleandomycin
Retinaldehyde
Troleandomycin

Figure

• 

  Figure 1. Representative cases showing the different subchoroidal thicknesses in control, thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients. Choroidal thick-nesses were measured perpendicularly from the outer edge of the hyper-reflective retinal pigment epithelium to the inner sclera at the fovea, 1,500 μ m temporal from the fovea, and 1,500 μ m nasal from the fovea. (A) Normal. (B) TAO. (C) NTG patients.

Reference

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