Evaluation of changes in mean choroidal thickness before and after treatment with steroids and laser photocoagulation in patients with Eales’ disease

Eales’ disease is an idiopathic peripheral retinal phlebitis, which is conventionally believed to be limited to the retinal layers. Recent research has shown additional involvement of the choroid, too. Spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with enhanced depth imaging (EDI-OCT) allows detailed visualization of the choroid. This study was done to evaluate the change in mean choroidal thickness (MCT) pre- and post-treatment with laser photocoagulation, in patients of Eales’ disease using SD-OCT with EDI. Twenty eyes of 20 male patients with Eales’ disease (cases) and twenty eyes of 20 age and sex-matched controls were included. EDI-OCT was used to measure choroidal thickness (from the outer border of retinal pigment epithelium to choroid-sclera junction at fovea, and at 500 μm intervals up to 1500 μm temporal and nasal to fovea at 7 locations), and central macular thickness (CMT), in both groups. MCT was calculated as the mean of the seven values. Cases were treated with oral steroids followed by frequency-doubled Nd-Yag multispot retinal laser photocoagulation. MCT was compared at baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months after laser. MCT of Eales’ patients were greater and significantly different as compared to the control group at baseline (338.80 ± 46.74 μm vs. 299.80 ± 20.69 μm, p < 0.01), 6 weeks (343.25 ± 44.79 μm vs. 299.60 ± 20.05 μm, p < 0.01), and 3 months after laser (353.25 ± 29.25 μm vs. 297.20 ± 24.33 μm, respectively, p < 0.01). The increase in MCT after treatment was not statistically significant. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) did not change significantly from baseline after treatment. CMT of the two groups was comparable at baseline (240.5 ± 30.90 μm vs. 253.40 ± 23.52 μm, p = 0.10), 6th week (258.20 ± 36.44 μm vs. 247.25 ± 22.79 μm, p = 0.43), and 3rd month (247.40 ± 32.25 μm vs. 249.65 ± 24.01 μm, p = 0.60). The MCT in Eales’ patients is significantly higher than that of normal healthy controls at presentation. Laser photocoagulation does not decrease the MCT in the short term, up to 3 months. The increased MCT does not affect the BCVA in the short term.