Fundus Tessellated Density of Pathologic Myopia.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Artificial Intelligence

Background:

• Pathologic myopia (PM) is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss.
• Accurate classification and understanding of PM progression are crucial for patient management.
• Fundus tessellated appearance, indicative of scleral and choroidal thinning, is a feature of PM.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively evaluate fundus tessellated density (FTD) in different categories of pathologic myopia (PM).
• To apply artificial intelligence (AI) for FTD extraction and calculation from fundus photographs.
• To assess the correlation of FTD with PM categories and clinical parameters.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 407 eyes with PM (Categories 2-4).
• Utilized AI-driven image processing for FTD quantification in specific fundus regions (optic disc and macular areas).
• Employed univariate and multivariate regression analyses to determine associations with FTD.

Main Results:

• Mean FTD showed a negative correlation with PM category, decreasing from Category 2 to Category 4.
• Age was significantly associated with FTD, while axial length was not.
• The "X" partitioning method demonstrated better suitability for macular regions.

Conclusions:

• FTD exhibits a decreasing trend across PM categories, irrespective of atrophy.
• Quantifying FTD can enhance the PM classification system.
• FTD measurement offers insights into posterior staphyloma and visual field defects in high myopia.