AIM: To examine ethnic differences in optic nerve head and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) parameters between European Caucasian and East Asian children aged 6-12 years. METHODS: Of 4118 children examined in the Sydney Childhood Eye Study (incorporating the Sydney Myopia Study) from 34 randomly selected primary and 21 secondary schools during 2003-5, 3382 (82.1%) had optical coherence tomography (OCT; Zeiss Stratus) data suitable for analysis. 'Fast' optic disc and RNFL scans were used. Ethnicity was defined only when both parents were of the same ethnicity. RESULTS: East Asian children tended to have a lower birth weight, were shorter with a smaller body mass index and were less hyperopic than European Caucasian children of the same age. After adjusting for age, gender, axial length, birth weight and optic-disc area, East Asian children had similar mean vertical disc diameters to European Caucasians (p=0.38, p=0.64 for 6-12 years, respectively) but 30-43% larger mean vertical cup diameters (p<0.0001 for both), resulting in larger mean cup/disc ratios (p<0.0001 for both). Compared with European Caucasians (101.95 microm and 104.57 microm, respectively), East Asian children had thicker mean average RNFL (105.45 microm and 107.92 microm, respectively; p=0.0006 and 0.0001) and thicker non-nasal RNFL quadrants in both ages. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with European Caucasian children, East Asian children generally had thicker RNFL and larger mean cup/disc ratios. Given the relatively lower prevalence of open angle glaucoma in Asians, these anatomical variations could contribute to better understanding of apparent racial differences in glaucoma susceptibility.
AIM: To examine ethnic differences in optic nerve head and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) parameters between European Caucasian and East Asian children aged 6-12 years. METHODS: Of 4118 children examined in the Sydney Childhood Eye Study (incorporating the Sydney Myopia Study) from 34 randomly selected primary and 21 secondary schools during 2003-5, 3382 (82.1%) had optical coherence tomography (OCT; Zeiss Stratus) data suitable for analysis. 'Fast' optic disc and RNFL scans were used. Ethnicity was defined only when both parents were of the same ethnicity. RESULTS: East Asian children tended to have a lower birth weight, were shorter with a smaller body mass index and were less hyperopic than European Caucasian children of the same age. After adjusting for age, gender, axial length, birth weight and optic-disc area, East Asian children had similar mean vertical disc diameters to European Caucasians (p=0.38, p=0.64 for 6-12 years, respectively) but 30-43% larger mean vertical cup diameters (p<0.0001 for both), resulting in larger mean cup/disc ratios (p<0.0001 for both). Compared with European Caucasians (101.95 microm and 104.57 microm, respectively), East Asian children had thicker mean average RNFL (105.45 microm and 107.92 microm, respectively; p=0.0006 and 0.0001) and thicker non-nasal RNFL quadrants in both ages. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with European Caucasian children, East Asian children generally had thicker RNFL and larger mean cup/disc ratios. Given the relatively lower prevalence of open angle glaucoma in Asians, these anatomical variations could contribute to better understanding of apparent racial differences in glaucoma susceptibility.
Authors: Liangbo L Shen; Shwetha Mangalesh; Brendan McGeehan; Vincent Tai; Neeru Sarin; Mays A El-Dairi; Sharon F Freedman; Maureen G Maguire; Cynthia A Toth Journal: Am J Ophthalmol Date: 2020-09-04 Impact factor: 5.258