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Retinal microvasculature and optic disc alterations in non-pathological high myopia with optical coherence tomography angiography

  • Retinal Disorders
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the early characteristics of retinochoroidal and peripapillary perfusion in non-pathological high myopia (HM) without retinopathy and compare them to the age- and sex-matched healthy subjects using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Methods

This prospective, cross-sectional study included 35 eyes of 35 patients in the non-pathological HM group (axial length (AL) ≥ 26 mm) and 35 eyes of 35 subjects in the control group. OCT and OCTA were used for the assessment of vessel density, foveal avascular zone, subfoveal choroidal thickness, choriocapillaris flow area, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and optic nerve head measurements.

Results

The VDs of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) were significantly reduced in the HM group (47.9 ± 3.8%; 47.3 ± 6.6%) compared to the control group (50.8 ± 2.6%; 54.1 ± 4.8%) (p < 0.001). The whole vessel density (wpVD) (53.7 ± 2.7% vs. 56.2 ± 2.2%) and peripapillary VD (ppVD) (56.4% (range, 45.8–60.4%) vs. 58.4% (range, 52.6–62.3%)) values were significantly lower in the HM group (p < 0.005). The inside disc vessel density (iVD) was similar in both groups (62 ± 3.3% vs. 61.4 ± 2.7%) (p = 0.511).

Conclusion

The vessel densities (VDs) of SCP and DCP, wpVD, and ppVD were lower in the non-pathological HM group, but the iVD value was similar in both groups. This suggests that the main cause of VD reduction is more likely related to globe elongation rather than reduced oxygen and nutrients due to the thinning of the posterior pole (retina, sclera, and choroid).

Clinicaltrials.gov registration ID

NCT04631991, 11/11/2020

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Data availability

All data and material are available from supplementary material.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey

    Asli Cetinkaya Yaprak

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Health Sciences University, Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey

    Lutfiye Yaprak

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  1. Asli Cetinkaya Yaprak
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Correspondence to Asli Cetinkaya Yaprak.

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Ethical approval

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Health Sciences, Antalya Training and Research Hospital (Approval Number 2017–184). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent for publication of their clinical details and/or clinical images was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. A copy of the consent form is available for review by the Editor of this journal.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Yaprak, A.C., Yaprak, L. Retinal microvasculature and optic disc alterations in non-pathological high myopia with optical coherence tomography angiography. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 259, 3221–3227 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-021-05216-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-021-05216-x

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