Peripapillary Atrophy in High Myopia.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Retinal Research

Background:

• High myopia (HM) is a significant risk factor for various ocular pathologies.
• Peripapillary atrophy (PPA) and peripapillary chorioretinal atrophy (PCA) are common findings in high myopia.
• Understanding the relationship between PPA/PCA and myopia parameters is crucial for risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between peripapillary atrophy (PPA) and peripapillary chorioretinal atrophy (PCA) with the extent of myopia, axial length (AL), and age in patients with high myopia (HM).
• To evaluate the relationship between optic nerve head (ONH) morphology and these parameters.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of medical records from 88 high myopia patients (spherical equivalent [SE] > -6.00 D).
• Eyes were categorized by SE (A1-A3: -6.00 to -27.00 D) and age (B1-B3: 5 to 69 years).
• Optic nerve head (ONH), PPA, and PCA areas were measured using 3D-OCT 2000 and correlated with SE, age, and AL.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in ONH, PPA, and PCA areas were observed across myopia severity and age groups (p < 0.01).
• Optic nerve head (ONH) size showed a significant correlation only with spherical equivalent (SE) (r = -0.30, p < 0.01).
• Both PPA and PCA demonstrated significant correlations with SE, age, and AL (PPA: r = -0.53, 0.47, 0.61; PCA: r = -0.42, 0.46, 0.48; all p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Peripapillary atrophy (PPA) and peripapillary chorioretinal atrophy (PCA) are significantly associated with increased myopia severity, axial length, and age in high myopia.
• Optic nerve head (ONH) size is primarily influenced by the refractive error (SE) and potentially by age.
• These findings highlight the progressive nature of structural changes in the peripapillary region with increasing myopia.