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Natural history and epidemiology of myopic macular disease
Author(s) -
KOURENTIS CHR
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2014.4211.x
Subject(s) - ophthalmology , medicine , macular degeneration , choroidal neovascularization , refractive error , posterior pole , choroid , visual acuity , maculopathy , retinal detachment , retinopathy , posterior segment of eyeball , retinal , retina , psychology , neuroscience , diabetes mellitus , endocrinology
Pathological myopia (PM) is characterized by a refractive error of ‐6 D and above and/or an axial length of 26.5 mm and above with concomitant degenerative changes in the posterior segment of the eye. The prevalence of PM differs between ethnicities. Myopic retinopathy includes a choroidal pallor pattern in the macular area, a posterior pole ectasia, lacquer cracks in Bruch’s membrane and posterior staphyloma, focal areas of chorioretinal thinning or atrophy and geographic areas of atrophy and choroidal neovascularisation (CNV). PM is the second commonest cause of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) after age related macular degeneration (AMD) and the most common cause of severe visual impairment in myopic patients younger than 50 years old. CNV occurs in 4% to 11% of patients with high myopia, and is the most common vision threatening complication of high myopia. The natural history of untreated myopic CNV is poor with a visual acuity of 20/200 or less. Apart from the macular degeneration there are other causes of visual dysfunction in PM, such as macular hole, retinal detachment associated with macular hole, posterior staphyloma and retinoschisis.