Distribution of scleral thickness and associated factors in 810 Chinese children and adolescents: a swept‐source optical coherence tomography study

Purpose To explore the subfoveal thickness of sclera (SST), choroid (SCT) and retina (SRT) as well as their relationship in healthy Chinese children with varying levels of refractive error. Methods A total of 810 healthy Chinese schoolchildren and adolescents underwent a series of comprehensive ocular examinations, as well as swept‐source optical coherence tomography (OCT) after induced cycloplegia. The thicknesses of the sclera, choroid and retina below the central fovea were measured manually, and each measurement was compared across different refractive statuses. Independent factors associated with the thickness of each layer were analysed. Results The mean SST, SCT and SRT were 524 ± 57 μm, 195 ± 49 μm and 224 ± 19 μm, respectively. The SSTs and SCTs of myopes were significantly thinner than those of emmetropes and hyperopes (all p