To determine the difference in subfoveal choroidal thickness between two spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) systems in normal eyes and eyes with retinal diseases.

Thirty-three normal eyes and 49 eyes with retinal disease (13 eyes with diabetic retinopathy, 28 eyes with epiretinal membrane and eight eyes with macular hole) were enrolled in the study. Subfoveal choroidal thicknesses were measured by 3 observers using the enhanced depth imaging technique of Heidelberg Spectralis® and the high-definition five-line raster scan of Cirrus HD-OCT® using calipers within the program. Differences between the measured values were analyzed with a paired t -test in PASW 18.0.

The mean age of normal eyes was 67.31 years, while eyes with diabetic retinopathy, epiretinal membrane and macular hole were aged 56.08 years, 70.00 years and 68.50 years, respectively. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness of normal eyes was 237.61 ± 104.60 µm for Spectralis and 239.52 ± 92.08 µm for Cirrus and showed no significant difference ( p = 0.397). Eyes with diabetic retinopathy, epiretinal membrane, and macular hole measured 267.46 ± 74.91 µm, 236.79 ± 84.16 µm and 209.63 ± 86.71 µm for Spectralis, respectively, and 266.69 ± 73.76 µm, 226.75 ± 77.30 µm and 206.75 ± 78.69 µm for Cirrus. They also showed no statistical difference ( p > 0.05).

Subfoveal choroidal thickness measurements according to Heidelberg Spectralis® and Cirrus HD-OCT® in both normal eyes and eyes with retinal diseases showed no significant differences.