title: Retinal Thickness and Axial Length.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationships between axial length and foveal and peripheral retinal thickness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using optical coherence tomography, foveal retinal thickness was measured in participants of the population-based Beijing Eye Study without optic nerve or macula diseases. Inner and outer nuclear layer thickness as surrogate for retinal thickness was assessed in the fundus periphery in human globes enucleated due to malignant uveal melanoma or painful glaucoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 1117 individuals with a mean age of 64.2 ± 9.7 years (range: 50-93 years) and mean axial length of 23.4 ± 1.04 mm (range: 20.29-28.68 mm). In multivariate analysis, thicker central foveal thickness was associated with male sex (P < 0.001; standardized regression coefficient beta: -0.13; nonstandardized regression coefficient B: -5.84; 95% confidence interval (CI): -8.56, -3.13); urban region of habitation (P = 0.02; beta: 0.07; B: 3.56; 95% CI: 0.55, 6.57); thinner lens thickness (P = 0.01; beta: -0.08; B: -5.11; 95% CI: -9.01, -1.21); thinner subfoveal choroidal thickness (P = 0.04; beta: -0.07; B: -0.01; 95% CI: -0.03, -0.001); and longer axial length (P < 0.001; beta: 0.18; B: 3.79; 95% CI: 2.41, 5.17). In the same multivariate model, superior, inferior, and temporal foveal thickness was not significantly associated with axial length (P = 0.26, P = 0.19, P = 0.08, respectively), while thicker nasal foveal thickness was associated with longer axial length (P = 0.009; beta: 0.09; B: 1.50; 95% CI: 0.37, 2.62). In the histomorphometric part of the study including 32 eyes (sagittal diameter: 27.0 ± 4.2 mm; range: 22-37 mm), mean thickness of the inner and outer nuclear layers at the equator and at the midpoint equator/posterior pole decreased with longer axial length (P = 0.004; beta: -0.48; and P = 0.02; beta: -0.44, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myopic axial globe elongation was associated with retinal thinning in the equatorial and pre-equatorial region, while foveal retinal thickness was mostly unaffected by axial length. It suggests that axial elongation takes place predominantly in the equatorial and pre-equatorial region of the eye.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Beijing, China 2Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the.
authors.forename: Jost B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jonas
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Wen Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Beijing, China 4Eye Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beij.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Songhomitra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Panda-Jonas
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ya Xing
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D058452:Axial Length, Eye / Q000473:pathology*; D000068476:Beijing / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*