Pattern of choroidal thickness in early-onset high myopia

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Genetics

Background:

• Early-onset high myopia (eoHM) presents a significant challenge in pediatric eye care.
• Understanding the underlying etiologies and their impact on ocular structures is crucial for effective management.
• Choroidal thickness (ChT) is a key indicator of ocular health and disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the etiologies of early-onset high myopia (eoHM) in children.
• To analyze the choroidal thickness (ChT) patterns associated with different causes of eoHM.
• To identify potential biomarkers for differentiating the origins of eoHM.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 60 children with eoHM and 20 healthy controls were studied.
• Comprehensive ophthalmologic examinations were performed, including swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).
• Choroidal thickness (ChT) was measured at multiple points around the fovea.

Main Results:

• Simple High Myopia (SHM), Stickler Syndrome (STL), and Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) were the most frequent etiologies identified.
• Children with SHM showed the thinnest ChT nasally and inferiorly (N2500, I2500).
• FEVR was associated with thinner temporal ChT (T2500), while STL patients exhibited diffuse ChT thinning across all locations.

Conclusions:

• Distinct ChT patterns are associated with specific etiologies of eoHM, including SHM, STL, and FEVR.
• Asymmetric nasal ChT thinning may indicate SHM.
• Asymmetric temporal ChT thinning could be a biomarker for FEVR, and diffuse thinning for STL, offering a non-invasive diagnostic approach.