Unique liver function in high myopia: associations with myopic macular degeneration

To investigate liver function and lipid indexes in patients with high myopia and their association with myopic macular degeneration (MMD).

This cross-sectional comparative study included 995 emmetropic patients and 805 highly myopic patients. Serum levels of liver function and lipid indexes were measured using a Roche C702 biochemical analyzer. Ultra-widefield fundus photographs of eyes were classified according to the International META-PM Classification: Category 0: No myopic retinal degeneration, Category 1: tessellated fundus, Category 2: diffuse choroidal retinal atrophy, Category 3: patchy choroidal retinal atrophy, Category 4: macular atrophy. A machine learning model based on liver function indexes was employed to predict the presence of MMD in patients with high myopia.

Serum levels of albumin (Alb), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and triglyceride (TG) were significantly lower, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and apolipoprotein-A (Apo-A) were higher in patients with high myopia than those in emmetropic patients (all P < 0.05). Significant differences in serum ALT and GGT were found among MMD categories (both P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that MMD4 was associated with lower serum GGT than MMD1 (P < 0.05). The decision tree model to predict MMD achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.735 using serum GGT (sensitivity = 53.12%; specificity = 82.09%; P < 0.001). When using multiple liver function indexes, the AUC of the model reached 0.803 (sensitivity = 73.4%; specificity = 76.1%; P < 0.001).

We identified close associations between liver function and MMD, suggesting serum GGT serve as a potential diagnostic indicator for MMD among highly myopic patients.