The anterior chamber depth and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in children

Abstract

Purpose. To investigate the correlation of anterior chamber depth (ACD) with the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, age, axial length (AL), and spherical equivalent in children. Subjects. Consecutive subjects aged 4 to 18 were recruited. Visually disabling eye conditions were excluded. Only the right eye was included for analysis. The ACD was correlated with RNFL thickness, age, spherical equivalent, and AL for all subjects. Subjects were then divided into 3 groups based on their postcycloplegic spherical equivalent: myopes (<-1.0 D), emmetropes (>/=-1.0 to </=+1.0 D), and hyperopes (>+1.0 D). The ACD was compared among the 3 groups before and after age adjustment. Results. In 200 subjects (mean age 7.6 +/- 3.3 years), a deeper ACD was correlated with thinner global RNFL (r = -0.2, r (2) = 0.06, P = 0.0007), older age (r = 0.4, r (2) = 0.1, P < 0.0001), myopic spherical equivalent (r = -0.3, r (2) = 0.09, P < 0.0001), and longer AL (r = 0.5, r (2) = 0.2, P < 0.0001). The ACD was deepest in myopes (3.5 +/- 0.4 mm, n = 67), followed by emmetropes (3.4 +/- 0.3, n = 60) and then hyperopes (3.3 +/- 0.2, n = 73) (all P < 0.0001). After age adjustment, myopes had a deeper ACD than the other 2 groups (all P < 0.0001). Conclusions. In children, a deeper ACD was associated with thinner RNFL thickness, older age, more myopic spherical equivalent, and longer AL. Myopes had a deeper ACD than emmetropes and hyperopes.