AIM: To investigate the variation in retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness and macular thickness of children with refractory amblyopia by using optical coherence tomography(OCT). The aim was to understand the refractory retinal morphology and its variation law of amblyopia thus inferred the peripheral pathogenesis in refractory amblyopia children.

METHODS: Each group included 30 eyes from refractory amblyopia group(group A), non-refractory amblyopia group(group B)and normal children's group(group C). The average thickness in nasal, superior, temporal and inferior retinal thickness of macular fovea, the central area(diameter≤1mm), macular parafovea(1mmRESULTS: The retina thickness at the superior was thickest, and the inferior and nasal sides ofparafovea were thicker than the temporal. After comparing the retinal thickness of macular fovea, the central area(diameter≤1mm), we found that group A was thicker than group B, group A was thicker than group C and group B was thicker than group C, and the thickness differences were statistical significance(P<0.05). After comparing the average values in nasal, superior, temporal and inferior retinal thickness of macular parafovea, we found that there was no statistical significance(P>0.05). In group C, the superior RNFL thickness was the thickest, followed by the inferior and then the temporal, the nasal was the thinnest, but in group A and group B, the superior and inferior RNFL thickness were similar, the nasal and temporal were also similar but were thinner than the superior and inferior. The nasal and inferior RNFL thickness of group A were significantly thicker than group C(P<0.05), and the temporal and superior RNFL thickness compared with group C had no statistical significance(P>0.05). Although the average values in RNFL thickness were thicker than group C, there was no statistical significance(P>0.05). In group A and group B, the superior, inferior, nasal, temporal and the average values in RNFL thickness were all similar, there was no statistical significance(P>0.05).

CONCLUSION: The dysplasia of macular fovea and the central area maybe one of the causes on refractory amblyopia. The macular parafover, outside the macular parafover and peripapillary RNFL are not involved, this shows that these regions may not participate in the occurrence of amblyopia.