| dc.description.abstract | This thesis investigated foveal morphology in 78 healthy Norwegian children aged 7-11 years using optical coherence tomography imaging. The study aimed to establish normative data on foveal width, depth, and outer retinal layer thickness in this pediatric cohort. Participants were evenly divided between males and females and two age groups, 7-8 years and 10-11 years. High-resolution scans of the macular region were obtained, and customized segmentation software extracted quantitative foveal dimensions for analysis. The parameters measured were foveal width, depth, outer nuclear layer thickness, axial length, spherical equivalent refraction, and corneal radius. Statistical comparisons were performed to assess sex and age-related differences. The results showed no significant differences in foveal width, depth, or outer nuclear layer thickness between males and females or between the younger and older groups. However, axial length was significantly longer in males compared to females. In conclusion, this study provides initial normative pediatric data on foveal structure in Norwegian children aged 7 to 11. Further large-scale longitudinal research is needed to fully elucidate developmental patterns over time. Establishing robust standards will help distinguish normal anatomical variation from potential pathology when clinically evaluating the pediatric fovea. | |
