title: Visual acuity and subfoveal choroidal thickness: the Beijing Eye Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and subfoveal choroidal thickness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Beijing Eye Study 2011 included 3468 subjects with ages of 50+ years. The participants underwent an ophthalmologic examination including spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging for measurement of choroidal thickness. BCVA was measured as logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 3468 participants, choroidal measurements were available for 3233 (93.2%) subjects. In multivariate analysis, better BCVA was significantly associated with thicker subfoveal choroid (P < 0.001) in general and a subfoveal choroid thicker than 30 μm (P < 0.001) in particular, after adjusting for younger age (P < 0.001), higher level of education (P < 0.001), taller body stature (P < 0.001), higher body mass index (P = 0.005), absence of glaucoma (P = 0.001), absence of diabetic retinopathy (P < 0.001), absence of late-stage age-related macular degeneration (P < 0.001), and axial length shorter than 26.0 mm (P < 0.001) (correlation coefficient r:0.56). If eyes with glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, late-stage age-related macular degeneration or myopic retinopathy were excluded, better BCVA was still significantly associated with thicker subfoveal choroid (P < 0.001) and subfoveal choroid thicker than 30 μm (P < 0.001) in multivariate analysis. In a reverse manner, thicker subfoveal choroid was associated with better BCVA (P < 0.001) after adjusting for younger age (P < 0.001), male gender (P < 0.001), longer axial length (P < 0.001), and higher corneal curvature radius (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Better visual acuity is strongly associated with thicker subfoveal choroid independent of additional factors, such as age, axial length, education level, and major ocular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: wenbing_wei@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Wen Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Chang Xi
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Kui Fang
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiao Peng
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ya Xing
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Qi Sheng
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jost B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jonas
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D058452:Axial Length, Eye / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D001824:Body Constitution; D002681:China; D002829:Choroid / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*