title: A population-based study of macular thickness in full-term children assessed with Stratus OCT: normative data and repeatability.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Urban
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Holmström
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alm
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Larsson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D042262:Retinoscopy; D047929:Term Birth; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology