Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Thickness in Healthy French Children by Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

Introduction: The optical coherence tomography (OCT) is part of the detection and monitoring of many retinal and optic nerve diseases. Our study aims to create a normative database of the peripapillary fibers thickness for children aged from 3 to 15 years, using a spectral-domain OCT: the Spectralis TM.

Subjects and methods: Prospective study followed at the Amiens academic hospital center in the ophthalmology Saint-Victor center using the Spectralis TM during the first 3 weeks of October 2012. An inclusion criterion was age between 3 and 15. Exclusion criteria were the presence of a retinal disease, optic nerve disease and if the pictures were found to be un exploitable. The thickness of peripapillary fibers was measured according to the age, the side of the eye, the peripapillary area and the spherical equivalent.

Results: This study was able to regroup data on 66 subjects aged 3 to 15 (9 ± 2,9 years), hence 121 eyes studied. The mean refraction in spherical equivalent was of +1,1 ± 2,5 diopters. RNFL thickness was 103 ± 10,2 μm. RNFL thickness was the greatest inferiorly (134 ± 22,2 μm) and superiorly (126 ± 17,2 μm) than nasally (77 ± 15,3 μm) and temporally (74 ± 12,1 μm). No significant difference was found between the retinal nerve fiber thickness of both eyes in the studied sample (p>0,05). The same result was concluded between girls and boys. Nevertheless, the inferior area was found to be significantly thicker than the upper one, also thicker than the nasal and temporal ones (p<0,05). No significative difference according to the age was found (p>0,05).

Conclusion: According to this study, the side, the gender and the age have no significative influence on the fibers thickness. However, it varies depending on the peripapillary area. The duplication of studies on this subject would provide a pediatric database grouping values on the peripapillary optical fiber thickness.