A population-based study of macular thickness in full-term children assessed with Stratus OCT: normative data and repeatability.

PURPOSE: We aimed to determine normal macular thickness values, assessed with optical coherence tomography (OCT), in a population of full-term children of normal birthweight. METHODS: A total of 56 children, aged 5-16 years, randomly chosen from the population register, were examined with Stratus OCT. Only children with visual acuity < 0.2 logMAR, spherical equivalent of - 3 to + 3 D and astigmatism < 2 D were included. The fast macular map protocol was used and three examinations were performed in each eye. One eye was then randomized for further analyses. Mean values for the nine ETDRS areas, foveal minimum thickness and macular volume were calculated for 55 eyes. Coefficients of variance and intraclass correlations were calculated for each area. RESULTS: All children co-operated well and no child was excluded for lack of concentration. Mean ± standard deviation central macular thickness was 204 ± 19 µm. Mean total macular volume was 7.11 ± 0.35 mm(3). No correlations were found between age, gender and macular thickness. Coefficients of variance were < 2% and intraclass correlations were > 0.9 in all areas, except the foveal minimum. CONCLUSIONS: Normal values for macular thickness in healthy full-term children were reported. As the Stratus OCT provides normal values only for adults, these data are a better alternative for comparison with children with retinal abnormalities. We concluded that OCT is suitable for examining the retina in children aged 5-16 years and has the same high level of repeatability as in adults.