Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2025
Inducement and Evaluation of a Murine Model of Experimental Myopia
Published on: January 22, 2019
Fundus Tessellation and Parapapillary Atrophy, as Ocular Characteristics of Spontaneously High Myopia in Macaques:
Jiaxin Tian1, Jian Wu1,2, Wei Liu3
1Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Beijing, China.
Purpose:
This study aimed to evaluate the ocular characteristics associated with spontaneously high myopia in adult nonhuman primates (NHPs).
Methods:
A total of 537 eyes of 277 macaques with an average age of 18.53 ± 3.01 years (range = 5-26 years), raised in a controlled environment, were included. We measured ocular parameters, including spherical equivalent (SE), axial length (AXL), and intraocular pressure. The 45-degree fundus images centered on the macula and the disc assessed the fundus tessellation and parapapillary atrophy (PPA). Additionally, optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to measure the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL).
Results:
The mean SE was -1.58 ± 3.71 diopters (D). The mean AXL was 18.76 ± 0.86 mm. The prevalence rate of high myopia was 17.7%. As myopia aggravated, the AXL increased (r = -0.498, P < 0.001). Compared with non-high myopia, highly myopic eyes had a greater AXL (P < 0.001), less RNFL thickness (P = 0.004), a higher incidence of PPA (P < 0.001), and elevated grades of fundus tessellation (P < 0.001). The binary logistic regression was performed, which showed PPA (odds ratio [OR] = 4.924, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.375-10.207, P < 0.001) and higher grades of fundus tessellation (OR = 1.865, 95% CI = 1.474-2.361, P < 0.001) were independent risk characteristics for high myopia.
Conclusions:
In NHPs, a higher grade of fundus tessellation and PPA were significant biomarkers of high myopia.
Translational Relevance:
The study demonstrates adult NHPs raised in conditioned rooms have a similar prevalence and highly consistent fundus changes with human beings, which strengthens the foundation for utilizing macaques as an animal model in high myopic studies.
