Ophthalmology Science
Choroidal thickness and risk of incident myopic maculopathy: a longitudinal study in a Japanese community
By Emi Ueda, Kohta Fujiwara, Satoko Sakata and 6 others.
Abstract
Purpose
To examine the association between choroidal thickness and the risk of developing myopic maculopathy in the general Japanese population.
Design
A population-based, prospective cohort study.Participants: A total of 847 community-dwelling residents aged 40 years or older with axial myopia (axial length of ≥24.0 mm) without myopic maculopathy at baseline in 2017, who underwent follow-up eye examinations in 2023, were included.Methods: Choroidal thickness measured by swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).Myopic maculopathy was defined according to the classification system of the Metaanalysis of Pathologic Myopia Study Group.Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between choroidal thickness levels and the development of myopic maculopathy were estimated using a logistic regression analysis.The discrimination ability of choroidal thickness for identifying the risk of myopic maculopathy was evaluated by using the C statistics. Main Outcome Measures: The risk of developing myopic maculopathyResults: During the follow-up period, 24 participants (2.8%) developed myopic maculopathy.Participants with lower choroidal thickness had a significantly higher risk of developing myopic maculopathy than those with higher choroidal thickness after adjusting for confounders, including axial length (OR 34.4; 95% CI 10.2-116; P < 0.001).The C statistics for identifying incident myopic maculopathy were 0.953 (95% CI 0.927-0.980)for men and 0.926 (95% CI 0.826-0.999)for women.In the analysis combining choroidal thickness and axial length, lower choroidal thickness was associated significantly with increased risk of J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f