Choroidal Thickness in Hereditary Retinal Disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Choroidal Thickness in Hereditary Retinal Disease
IRAS ID
186607
Contact name
Sami Kimyongur
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aston University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 19 days
Research summary
The posterior eye is structurally arranged into three concentric layers; between the external fibrous sclera and the inner photosensitive retina is the pigmented and vascular middle layer, the choroid. The choroid is implicated in the pathophysiology of many diseases affecting the retina, but only with recent advancements in optical coherence tomography has choroidal imaging become incorporated into regular practice.
However, despite research into the correlation between choroidal thickness and various ophthalmic diseases, a gap in knowledge exists regarding hereditary retinal disorders. As such, the aim of this study is to compare the choroidal thickness of patients with hereditary retinal disease to control subjects with healthy retinas, in order to find out firstly if choroidal thickness is abnormal in patients with inherited retinal disease. Notably, due to the close structural and functional relationship between the retina and choroid, it is highly plausible that choroidal aberrations may be present in hereditary retinal disease.
If this is the case, the subjects' electroretinography (ERG) results will be assessed to determine whether there is a direct or inverse correlation between choroidal thickness and disease severity. ERG is an established test routinely performed in the diagnosis of retinal diseases, and produces functional, quantitative data that reflects retinal activity. The degree by which a subject's b-wave amplitude differs from established normal values can be used as an objective estimate of disease severity.
Summary: retrospective analysis of OCT (choroidal thickness) and ERG (disease severity) test results of patients diagnosed with a hereditary retinal disorder, compared to existing control OCT and ERG data from ophthalmologically normal individuals.
Test subject inclusion criteria: diagnosis of hereditary retinal disease. Age 18 or over. Male or female.
Test subject exclusion criteria: recent history of eye infection and/or inflammatory eye disease.
Control data inclusion:
Age 18 or over.
Male or female.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0516
Date of REC Opinion
11 Nov 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion