Sex- and Age-Dependent Wide-Field Choroidal Thickness Differences in Healthy Eyes

In this study, we aimed to map and characterize the choroidal thickness over a wide area from the posterior pole to the vortex vein in normal eyes. This observational study included 146 healthy eyes (63 male). Three-dimensional volume data were acquired to create a choroidal thickness map using swept-source optical coherence tomography. The map was classified as type A if an area with a choroidal thickness >250 µm in the vertical direction from the optic disc, and the area corresponding to the watershed was not observed, or as type B if such an area was observed. The relationship between the ratio of groups A to B and age was compared by classifying the age for three age groups: <40, 40–60, and >60 years in men and women. In men and women, 69.8% and 49.4% were classified as type A, respectively, with significant sex differences (p = 0.013). The proportion of type B decreased with increasing age in both the sexes. There was a significant difference between ≤60 and >60 years in men and between ≤40 and >40 years in women (p < 0.05). To conclude, the wide-area choroidal thickness and the age-dependent changes in healthy eyes differed between the sexes.

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