Effects of Myopia and Glaucoma on the Neural Canal and Lamina Cribrosa Using Optical Coherence Tomography

Glaucoma was associated with axial bowing and rotation of Bruchs membrane opening (BMO) and anterior laminar insertion (ALI), skewed neural canal, and deeper anterior lamina cribrosa surface (ALCS). Longer axial length was associated with wider, longer, and more skewed neural canal and flatter ALCS.

Investigate the effects of myopia and glaucoma in the prelaminar neural canal and anterior lamina cribrosa using 1060-nm swept-source optical coherence tomography.

19 control (38 eyes) and 38 glaucomatous subjects (63 eyes).

Participants were imaged with swept-source optical coherence tomography, and the images were analyzed for the BMO and ALI dimensions, prelaminar neural canal dimensions, and ALCS depth.

Glaucomatous eyes had more bowed and nasally rotated BMO and ALI, more horizontally skewed prelaminar neural canal, and deeper ALCS than the control eyes. Increased axial length was associated with a wider, longer, and more horizontally skewed neural canal and a decrease in the ALCS depth and curvature.

Our findings suggest that glaucomatous posterior bowing or cupping of lamina cribrosa can be significantly confounded by the myopic expansion of the neural canal. This may be related to higher glaucoma risk associated with myopia from decreased compliance and increased susceptibility to IOP-related damage of LC being pulled taut.