The aim of this study was to investigate the development of retinal vessel in healthy children.

Cross-sectional study. The clinical data of 50 healthy children and adults (50 eyes) who were examined in Aier Eye Hospital (Chengdu) from January 2019 to July 2019 were collected. The children group recruited 25 children (25 eyes), including 10 males (10 eyes) and 15 females (15 eyes). They were 4 to 11 years-old with an average age (6.68±2.22) years-old. The adults group recruited 25 adults (25 eyes), including 9 males (9 eyes) and 16 females (16 eyes), with an average age (32.45±5.10) years-old ranging from 25 to 40 years-old. Visual acuity, intraocular pressure, blood pressure, axial length, peripapillary vessel density (VD) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness were collected and described by mean±SD. The independent sample t-test was used for the comparison between two groups; the paired t-test was used for the comparison within the group and the correlation between VD and various factors was evaluated by Person correlation coefficient.

The VD of the four quadrants of superior, inferior, nasal and temporal around the optic disc was (19.48±0.46) mm^-1, (19.78±0.37) mm^-1, (18.70±0.69) mm^-1 and (20.05±0.74) mm^-1 in the children group, and (19.25±0.53) mm^-1, (19.67±0.51) mm^-1, (18.53±0.81) mm^-1 and (19.43±1.37) mm^-1 in the adults. According to paired t test, VD in the inferior was significantly greater than that in the superior in both groups (t=-2.890, - 3.535; P<0.05), while that in the temporal was significantly greater than that in the nasal (t=-3.429, - 7.619; P<0.05). There was no statistical significance in VD in each quadrant between two groups (t=-1.660, - 0.925, - 0.802, - 2.201; P>0.05). RNFL in children of four quadrants of superior, inferior, nasal and temporal around the optic disc was (132.92±14.16) μm, (135.63±14.82) μm, (70.50±12.43) μm and (80.71±13.50) μm; while that in adults was (132.40±19.33) μm, (138.16±16.71) μm, (74.08±13.59) μm and (81.12±11.95) μm, respectively. There was a positive correlation between VD and RNFL in each quadrant of both groups (r=0.403, 0.418; P<0.05).

The development level of the peripapillary vessel in healthy school-age children had the same with adults, and the thickness of the peripapillary vessel had the same the quadrant distribution with RNFL.