title: Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and retinal vessel calibers in children with thalassemia minor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, subfoveal choroidal thickness, and retinal vessel caliber measurements in children with thalassemia minor.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional and comparative study, 30 thalassemia minor patients and 36 controls were included. Heidelberg spectral domain optical coherence tomography was used for peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, subfoveal choroidal thickness, and retinal vessel caliber measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistically significant difference in retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and subfoveal choroidal thickness between the two groups (p > 0.05). There was no correlation between retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and hemoglobin values. Both the arterioral and venular calibers were higher in thalassemia minor group (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is increased retinal arterioral and venular calibers in children with thalassemia minor compared with controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Acer
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Hematology and Thalassemia Center, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yasemin I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Balcı
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gökhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pekel
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tuğba T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Ongun
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Hematology and Thalassemia Center, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polat
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ebru N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Çetin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yağcı
keywords: Thalassemia minor; choroidal thickness; nerve fiber; retinal vessel caliber