Purpose: To examine influences of gestational age and birth parameters on peripapillary nerve fiber layer (NFL) and macular thickness at age six.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Methods: The Sydney Childhood Eye Study examined a random-cluster sample of 1765 six-year-old Sydney school children. Peripapillary NFL and macular thickness were measured (StratusOCT, Zeiss, Dublin, California, USA). Birth parameters were extracted from health records. Multivariate analyses were performed.
Results: Higher birth weight children had greater peripapillary NFL, inner and outer (all P(trend) < 0.03), but not central or average macular thickness (both P(trend) > 0.1). Peripapillary NFL (P(trend) = 0.001), inner (P(trend) = 0.01), outer (P(trend) = 0.002), and average macular thickness (P(trend) = 0.02), but not central macular thickness (P(trend) = 0.5) was greater in children with larger head circumference at birth. The central macula was thicker in prematurely (<37 weeks) born children (195.0 microm) than those born at term (191.2 microm), P = 0.04.
Conclusion: Birth weight and head circumference predicted peripapillary NFL and macular thickness. Prematurity was weakly associated with central macular thickness.