Files and links (2)
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Anterior eye tissue morphology: Scleral and conjunctival thickness in children and young adults
Scientific Reports, Vol.6, pp.1-10
2016
PMCID: PMC5028711
PMID: 27646956
Abstract
The sclera and conjunctiva form part of the eye's tough, protective outer coat, and play important roles in the eye's mechanical protection and immune defence, as well as in determining the size and shape of the eye globe. Advances in ocular imaging technology now allow these tissues in the anterior eye to be imaged non-invasively and with high resolution, however there is a paucity of data examining the dimensions of these tissues in paediatric populations. In this study, we have used optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging to examine the normal in vivo thickness profile of the anterior sclera and overlying conjunctiva in 111 healthy young participants, including a large proportion of paediatric subjects. We demonstrate that the thickness of the anterior sclera varies significantly with measurement location and meridian. Tissue thickness also varied significantly with age, with younger subjects exhibiting significantly thinner scleras and significantly greater conjunctival thickness. Males were also found to exhibit significantly greater scleral thickness. Refractive error however was not significantly associated with either scleral or conjunctival thickness in this population. These findings provide new data describing the normative dimensions of anterior eye tissues in children and the factors that can influence these dimensions in young populations.
Details
- Title
- Anterior eye tissue morphology: Scleral and conjunctival thickness in children and young adults
- Authors
- Scott A. Read (Corresponding Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyDavid Alonso-Caneiro (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyStephen J. Vincent (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyAlexander Bremner (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyAnnabel Fothergill (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyBrittney Ismail (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyRebecca McGraw (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyCharlotte J. Quirk (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyElspeth Wrigley (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
- Publication details
- Scientific Reports, Vol.6, pp.1-10
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Date published
- 2016
- DOI
- 10.1038/srep33796
- ISSN
- 2045-2322
- PMID
- 27646956; PMC5028711
- Copyright note
- © The Author(s) 2016. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99973594802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
3 File views/ downloads
30 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Web Of Science research areas
- Ophthalmology
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites