Features and changes in retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in high myopic ocular hypertension: a 1-year prospective...

To observe the features and changes in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness in highly myopic ocular hypertension (HM-OHT) patients.

Prospective observation study.

Individuals who met the inclusion criteria were recruited into three groups: the healthy high myopia (HM), non-highly myopic ocular hypertension (OHT) and HM-OHT group. The spherical equivalent refraction, axial length, intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness and pRNFL thickness were collected and compared between groups. The OHT and HM-OHT group were followed up for 12 months. The changes in pRNFL thickness across the follow-up times were analyzed.

The study included 92 subjects. The mean pRNFL thicknesses were 102.5 ± 11.1 μm in the HM (31 people), 101.9 ± 11.7 μm in the OHT (34 people) and 102.2 ± 12.0 μm in the HM-OHT group (27 people). There was no statistical difference in the mean pRNFL thickness among the three groups. The HM-HOT group and HM group had thicker temporal sectoral (p < 0.05) pRNFL thickness and thinner superior sectoral (p = 0.015) pRNFL thickness than the OHT group. During the 12-month follow-up, the mean pRNFL thickness of the HM OHT group decreased, with an annual reduction of -0.93 ± 0.14 μm. There was a significant difference across the three visits (p < 0.05), while there were no significant differences in the OHT group (p = 0.591).

After ocular magnification correction, the HM-OHT group did not have thinner pRNFL thickness than the other two groups. However, the thickness decreased significantly over time.