IMPORTANCEPathologic myopia due to an excessive increase of axial length is associated with severe visual impairments. Systematic analyses to determine the rate of and the risk factors associated with the axial elongation in adults with high myopia based on long-term follow-up of a large population are needed.OBJECTIVE To determine the risk factors associated with axial elongation in adults with high myopia.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study used the medical records of 43 201 patient visits in a single-hospital database that were collected from January 3, 2011, to December 28, 2018. A total of 15 745 medical records with the patients' sex, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), axial length, type of myopic maculopathy, and the presence or absence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) were reviewed. Data were analyzed from April 3, 2019, to August 5, 2020.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Changes in the axial length at each examination were calculated. The significance of the associations between the annual increase of the axial length and age, sex, baseline axial length, types of myopic maculopathy, and a history of CNV was determined. Generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate the strength of the risk factors associated with an increase of the axial length in high myopia.RESULTS Among 1877 patients with 9161 visits included in the analysis, the mean (SD) age was 62.10 (12.92) years, and 1357 (72.30%) were women. The mean (SD) axial length was 29.66 (2.20) mm with a mean (SD) growth rate of 0.05 (0.24) mm/y. Among the 9161 visits, 7096 eyes (77.46%) had myopic maculopathy and 2477 eyes (27.04%) had CNV. The odds ratio for inducing a severe elongation of the axial length was 1.46 (95% CI, 1.38-1.55) for female sex, 0.44 (95% CI, 0.35-0.56) to 0.63 (95% CI, 13 0.50-0.78) for older than 40 years, 1.33 (95% CI, 1.15-1.54) for BCVA of less than 20/400, 1.67 (95% CI, 1.54-1.81) to 2.67 (95% CI, 2.46-2.88) for baseline axial length of 28.15 mm or greater, 1.06 (95% CI, 0.96-1.17) to 1.39 (95% CI, 1.24-1.55) for the presence of maculopathy, and 1.37 (95% CI, 1.29-1.47) for prior CNV.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study found continuing axial elongation in adults with high myopia. The risk factors for elongation do not appear to be modifiable, so prevention of myopia may be the best approach to reduce the incidence of pathologic myopia and its complications in the future.

No abstract

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text.Multifocal choroiditis/punctate inner choroidopathy was observed in 11% of eye with myopic patchy atrophy and appeared to be a risk factor for the development of macular neovascularization. At least in some cases, patchy atrophy may originate from multifocal choroiditis/punctate inner choroidopathy lesions.

To investigate the dilated choroidal veins (DCVs) at or around myopic macular neovascularizations (MNVs) and to determine whether there is a hemodynamic relationship between them.Methods: Fifty-eight eyes of 57 patients with myopic MNVs were examined. Dilated choroidal veins were defined as choroidal veins whose diameter was 2X larger than adjacent veins. Indocyanine green angiography and swept-source optical coherence tomography images were reviewed to detect DCVs that crossed the subfoveal area. The filling sequence of the DCVs and MNVs was determined.Results: Patients' mean age was 71.4 ± 10.6 years. The mean axial length was 29.3 ± 1.8 mm. Dilated choroidal veins below or around the MNV were found in 17 eyes (29.3%). Emissaries of the short posterior ciliary arteries were seen at or around MNVs in 8 of the 17 eyes. In these eyes, the short posterior ciliary artery was filled first or almost simultaneously with the filling of the MNV, followed by a laminar filling of the DCVs. In one eye, afferent arterioles from the short posterior ciliary arteries and efferent venules connected to DCVs were seen.Conclusion: Dilated choroidal veins are present below or around MNVs in about 30% of eyes with myopic MNVs. Our findings suggest that an MNV might be a vascular unit consisting of short posterior ciliary arteries, afferent arterioles, efferent venules, and DCVs.

Purpose To identify structural abnormalities in the papillary and peripapillary area in eyes with pathologic myopia (PM) and normal IOP and to determine their relationship to visual field (VF) defects. Methods One hundred eight eyes of 70 patients with PM were retrospectively studied. The disc-centered swept source optical coherence tomographic images and the Goldmann VF recorded within 1 year of the optical coherence tomographic examination were analyzed. Four structural abnormalities were identified: lamina cribrosa (LC) defects, ridge protrusions, intrachoroidal cavitations (ICC), and prelaminar schisis. The correspondence of the VF defects with the structural abnormalities was assessed. Results The mean age, axial length, and optic disc area of the 108 eyes were 58.7 ± 10.0 years, 31.1 ± 2.4 mm, and 4.7 ± 2.2 mm 2 , respectively. Eighty-five of the 108 eyes (78.7%) had at least one abnormality and 49.4% (42/85) had two or more abnormalities. LC defects, ridge protrusions, ICC, and prelaminar schisis were detected in 47.2%, 33.3%, 21.3%, and 30.6% of the eyes, respectively. VF defects at the corresponding areas of these structural abnormalities were seen in 63% of the eyes with LC defects, 39% of the eyes with ridge protrusions, and 21% of the eyes with ICC. Conclusions Four kinds of structural abnormalities with corresponding VF defects are commonly observed in the papillary and peripapillary region of eyes with PM. The presence of these abnormalities suggests a possibility of functional damage.

Purpose To determine the shape of posterior staphylomas using ultra-widefield optical coherence tomographic (UWF-OCT) images and to identify the factors contributing to the shape and grade of the staphylomas in eyes with pathologic myopia. Methods This was an observational case series study. Highly myopic patients who were ≥40 years old with wide or narrow type of macular staphylomas were studied. High myopia was defined as a myopic refractive error (spherical equivalent) greater than −8.0 diopters (D) or an axial length (AL) > 26.5 mm. The maximum diameter and depth of the staphylomas were measured in the 12 radial scans of UWF-OCT images by ImageJ software and were compared between the two types of staphylomas. Results We studied 197 eyes of 138 patients with a mean age of 64.7 ± 10.4 years and mean AL of 30.0 ± 1.9 mm. The AL was significantly longer in the eyes with the narrow type than the wide type of staphyloma ( P = 0.036). Multiple regression analyses showed that age was significantly correlated with the maximum depth/maximum diameter ratio (wide type, P < 0.001; narrow type, P = 0.003) of both types of staphylomas. The AL was significantly correlated with the depth/diameter ratio of only the narrow type of staphylomas ( P = 0.005). Conclusions The significant correlations of age and AL with the wide and narrow types of posterior staphylomas indicate that the factors for their formations may be distinctly different. Quantitative analyses of UWF-OCT images are helpful in determining the shape of the staphylomas.

Purpose: To identify anomalies of choroidal venous structure in highly myopic (HM) eyes.Methods: Widefield indocyanine green angiographic images of 175 HM eyes (refractive error # -6.0D diopters or axial length .26.5 mm) and 100 control eyes taken between January 2014 and December 2018 were reviewed.Results: There were no significant differences in age and gender between HM patients and controls. Three types of changes of large choroidal veins were found in 103 HM eyes (58.86%): Asymmetry of vortex veins in 44 eyes (25.14%), isolated long vein across the macula in 58 eyes (33.14%), and intervortex anastomoses in 25 eyes (14.29%). Similar changes in controls were found in 12 eyes (12%), 0 eye (0%), and 2 eyes (2%), respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the HM group (all P , 0.05). The patterns of asymmetry were affected by steeper staphyloma edges and anastomoses were observed through large trunks and terminal venules. In two eyes with large trunk anastomosis, attenuation of the less dominant vortex vein was observed afterward.Conclusion: Choroidal venous anomalies are more common in HM eyes than controls. Choroidal venous structure in HM eyes may be altering continuously, and such changes may underlie the development of myopic maculopathy.

AimTo determine whether there is a correlation between the presence of macular dilated choroidal vein (DCV) and the recurrence of myopic macular neovascularisation (MNV) after antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment.MethodsMedical records of 168 eyes of 163 patients with myopic MNV were reviewed for the presence of macular DCV and episodes of recurrences. A macular DCV was defined as a choroidal vein whose diameter was 2× larger than the adjacent veins coursing in the macular area of 5.5 mm diameter.ResultsMacular DCV existed in 47 (28%) of the eyes with myopic MNV. 70 eyes (41.7%) had recurrence during a mean follow-up period of 52.5±23.0 months. Recurrence was found in 28 of the 47 eyes (59.6%) with DCV, which was significantly more frequent than the 42 of the 121 eyes (34.7%) without DCV (p=0.003). Cox model analysis showed that macular DCV was an independent risk factor (HR: 2.0, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.5) for recurrence. The recurrence rate was significantly higher in eyes with DCV within the first 2 years after the onset than in eyes without DCV.ConclusionsMacular DCVs may be indicators of a more aggressive phenotype of eyes with myopic MNV. These eyes need careful monitoring after anti-VEGF therapies.