Subclinical Structural and Functional Retinal Alterations in Clinically Normal Myopic Eyes

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging
• Visual Electrophysiology

Background:

• Myopia is associated with structural and functional retinal changes.
• Subclinical alterations may precede clinically apparent disease.
• Early detection of retinal changes in myopia is crucial for management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate subclinical structural and functional retinal alterations in normal myopic eyes.
• To assess the relationship between myopia severity, axial length, and retinal parameters.
• To determine the association between optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings and visual field indices.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study of 109 myopic patients (aged 18-42).
• Assessment included spectral-domain OCT for central retinal thickness (CRT) and nerve fiber layer thickness (OCT-NFCT).
• Standard automated perimetry was used for visual field analysis (VF-CZ, VF-PZ, VF-MD, VF-sLV).

Main Results:

• Increasing myopia correlated with reduced CRT and altered OCT-NFCT.
• Significant visual field deterioration (reduced sensitivity, increased defects) was observed with increasing myopia.
• Visual field indices showed strong correlations with myopia severity and axial length, but not independently with CRT or OCT-NFCT.

Conclusions:

• Clinically normal myopic eyes exhibit significant subclinical structural and functional retinal alterations.
• Visual field alterations in myopia are more strongly associated with axial elongation and severity than isolated retinal thickness.
• Combined OCT and visual field assessment may aid in early detection and monitoring of subclinical retinal changes in myopic patients.