Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness in Retinal Vein Occlusion

Since Spaide et al described the enhanced depth imaging mode of optical coherence tomography to visualize the choroid, an increasing number of studies have examined choroidal thickness and its associated factors in normal eyes and eyes with various retinal and retinochoroidal disorders. The studies revealed that the mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in normal eyes is approximately 250 μm at age 65 years; that SFCT shows a marked interindividual variability with values as low as 8 μm and values as great as 854 μm; that SFCT decreases by about 4 μm per year of age and by 15 μm per diopter of myopia; and that SFCT is additionally associated with male gender, a deeper anterior chamber, and thicker lens. Clinical studies showed that eyes affected by central serous chorioretinopathy and their contralateral eyes as well as eyes with polypoidal vascular choroidopathy have an abnormally thick subfoveal choroid. Because retinal vein occlusions (RVOs) as retinal vascular diseases may have an association with abnormalities of the choroidal vasculature, we conducted this study to assess the choroidal thickness in patients with RVOs.