The assessment of choroidal thickness with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography during Valsalva maneuver

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of Valsalva maneuver (VM) on choroidal thickness. All the volunteers underwent a detailed opthalmic examination. Third-generation Spectralis OCT device (software version 5.6.3.0; Spectralis OCT, Heidelberg Engineering, Dossenheim, Germany) was used for assessment. Subfoveal and perifoveal CT of all volunteers were measured by using EDI-OCT technology. Perifoveal CT was measured 1500 µm nasally and 1500 µm temporally apart from the foveal center. The measurements were repeated while volunteers were performing VM. Sixty-four eyes of 32 healthy volunteers were assessed. The volunteers were aged 29–50. The mean age was 32.8 ± 6.6 years. Choroidal thickness measurements differed with statistical significance between resting position and VMin all regions (p