Visual Acuity, and Macular and Peripapillary Thickness in High Myopia

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal imaging
• Myopia research

Background:

• High myopia is associated with structural changes in the retina and choroid.
• Understanding these changes in the absence of myopic maculopathy is crucial for visual health.
• Emmetropes serve as a baseline for comparison in ocular structure studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), choroidal thickness (CT), and retinal thickness between high myopes without myopic maculopathy and emmetropes.
• Identify predictive factors for visual acuity and ocular structural measurements in these groups.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study included 53 high myopes (axial length > 26 mm) and 53 emmetropes.
• Ophthalmological examination, biometry, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were performed.
• Macular and peripapillary retinal layers and choroidal thickness were mapped; peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness was measured.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in macular and peripapillary thicknesses were found between high myopes and emmetropes after adjusting for confounding factors.
• Axial length (AL) was the primary predictor of macular and peripapillary choroidal thickness.
• Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was not influenced by choroidal thickness but positively correlated with global pRNFL thickness.

Conclusions:

• Axial length is the main predictor of choroidal and retinal thickness in high myopes without maculopathy.
• Choroidal thickness does not independently predict visual acuity.
• Global pRNFL thickness is the sole independent predictor of BCVA in this cohort.