Purpose: The present study investigated the long-lasting effect of prematurity, prenatal growth restriction, and associated factors on foveal and peripapillary choroidal thickness in adulthood.
Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study (GPES) is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective ophthalmologic examination in Germany. Foveal and peripapillary choroidal thicknesses were measured at different sectors using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to determine associations among gestational age, birth weight percentile, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) occurrence and treatment, and other perinatal factors, such as maternal smoking and others with foveal and global peripapillary choroidal thickness.
Results: A total of 735 eyes of 408 study participants were included (age = 28.4 ± 8.6 years, 229 women). Multivariable regression analyses revealed that foveal choroidal thinning was associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy (B = -38.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -65.5 to -10.7, P = 0.006), whereas other perinatal factors revealed no association. Global peripapillary choroidal thinning showed a trend to a lower birth weight percentile (B = 0.22, 95% CI = -0.01 to 0.45, P = 0.057). No correlation was observed between foveal and peripapillary choroidal thicknesses with visual acuity.
Conclusions: This study indicates that maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy has adverse long-lasting effects on choroidal development in the fovea and low birth weight percentile as a surrogate marker for adverse perinatal growth might be linked with peripapillary choroidal thinning whereas prematurity showed no long-term effects.
Translational relevance: Altered choroidal layer development caused by perinatal influence factors might be a risk factor for reduced visual function and predispose affected individuals to eye diseases in later life.