Evaluation of Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness in Pregnant Women Using Enhanced Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) measured by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) in pregnant women. METHODS: In this prospective and cross-sectional study, 100 pregnant women and 100 age-matched nonpregnant women were enrolled. The SFCT was measured by EDI-OCT. The refractive error, intraocular pressure (IOP), axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) were also measured. Pregnancy-related factors including gestational age, maternal weight gain, and fetal weight were noted. RESULTS: Mean SFCT was 371.1 ± 61.8 µm in the study group and 337.2 ± 62.4 µm in the control group (p < 0.001). No significant correlation was found between SFCT and spherical refraction, IOP, AL, CCT, OPP, gestational age, maternal weight gain, or fetal weight. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that subfoveal choroidal thickness increases in pregnant women compared with age-matched nonpregnant women.