Aims To determine the relationship between the macular thickness and volume determined by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and the refractive error (RE) and axial length (AL).

Methods 48 eyes of 24 healthy Japanese subjects were examined. The REs (spherical equivalent) were measured with the Tonoref RKT-7000 autorefractometer (Nidek Inc, Aichi, Japan), and the ALs were determined by the IOL-Master (Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc, Dublin, California, USA). The thicknesses and volumes of the central, inner, and outer macular areas were measured by Spectralis SD-OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). The correlations between the macular thickness and volume and the RE and AL were determined by linear regression analyses.

Results The average central foveal thickness (within 1 mm) was 278.7±10.8 μm and the volume was 0.22±0.01 mm³. The foveal thickness was negatively correlated with the RE and positively correlated with the AL (p<0.01 for both). Similar correlations were also found for the volume of the central macular areas.

Conclusions The significant correlation of the foveal thickness and the RE and AL in healthy eyes should be considered when these parameters are evaluated in eyes with retinal diseases.