To evaluate the choroidal thickness in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and normal tension glaucoma (NTG) using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and to explore the relationship between the choroidal thickness and glaucoma.

A retrospective analysis was performed on patients who had been diagnosed with POAG or NTG at Ewha Womans University, Mokdong Hospital. SD-OCT scans were obtained to estimate retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, macular thickness, and subfoveal and peripapillary choroidal thickness in groups of POAG patients, NTG patients, and normal controls.

A total of 21 patients with POAG, 53 patients with NTG, and 42 normal subjects were enrolled in this study. RNFL thickness and macular thickness were significantly thinner in the POAG and NTG groups compared to the normal subjects. In contrast, there were no significant differences in subfoveal and peripapillary choroidal thickness among the 3 groups. There was no significant correlations between the peripapillary choroidal thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness.

Choroidal thickness does not seem to differ between glaucoma patients and normal subjects, and there were no significant correlations between the choroidal thickness and glaucomatous optic neuropathy.