[Retinal nerve fiber layer in OCT 3: prospective study of 53 normal children].
OBJECTIVE
To measure the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL thickness) in normal children using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and evaluate the effects of several factors on RNFL thickness, in order to complete results of other studies on this topic.


METHODS
One hundred and four eyes of 53 normal children were investigated using OCT (Stratus OCT 3, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA, USA) measuring the RNFL thickness. These 28 boys and 25 girls had a mean age of 9.68±3.02 years (range, 4-15 years) and a mean refraction in spherical equivalent of +1.79±2.11 diopters (range, -3.50-5.75). The effects of age, sex, and refraction on RNFL thickness were statistically analyzed with the SPSS Package (version 15, Chicago, IL, USA).


RESULTS
RNFL thickness was 104.33±10.22 μm (range, 85.87-145.82). RNFL thickness was greatest inferiorly (132.99±16.36 μm) and superiorly (130.72±19.51 μm), thinner nasally (79.01±18.48 μm), and thinnest temporally (73.79±12.61 μm). In univariate regression analysis, age had no significant effect on refraction and RNFL thickness. In univariate and multivariate analysis, refraction had a significant effect only on temporal (p<0.001) RNFL thickness.


CONCLUSIONS
OCT can be used to measure RNFL thickness in children. This study confirms normal children's RNFL thickness data, which can be useful to the clinician in evaluating and treating optic nerve disorders in children.
Gire
J
J
Service d'ophtalmologie, centre hospitalo-universitaire Nord, chemin des Bourrelly, 13915 Marseille cedex 20, France. gire.julien@hotmail.fr
Cornand
E
E
Fogliarini
C
C
Benso
C
C
Haouchine
B
B
Denis
D
D
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012160:Retina / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence