The Effect of Intraocular Pressure-lowering Eye Drops on Myopic RetinoschisisPatients

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the influence of intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering eye drops on myopic retinoschisis. Methods: We investigated myopic retinoschisis patients with high myopia (defined as a myopic refractive error more than -8.0 diopters or an axial length longer than 26.5 mm), who were suspected of having glaucomatous optic neuropathy, using IOP-lowering eye drops between April 2014 and December 2018. We retrospectively analyzed the changes in optical coherence tomography findings after 6 months using IOP-lowering eye drops. The progression of retinoschisis was assessed by analyzing retinal volume changes. A decrease in the total retina volume and a decrease in volume more than 10% in one section out of five without more than a 10% volume increase in any other section was defined as resolution of myopic retinoschisis. The opposite case was defined as an aggravation. Results: We analyzed 17 eyes of 15 patients with high myopia. Six of 17 eyes (35.3%) showed a resolution of myopic retinoschisis at 6 months after using IOP-lowering eye drops. Of the 17 eyes, two (11.8%) experienced progression of myopic retinoschisis. Seven out of 14 eyes (50.0%) who were followed-up over 1 year showed resolution of myopic retinoschisis, and two eyes (14.3%) experienced progression of myopic retinoschisis. There was no macular hole development or posterior vitreous detachment during the follow-up period in the seven eyes, and there was no significant correlation between the absolute value of the initial IOP, axial length, IOP change, and degree of improvement of myopic retinoschisis. Conclusions: The use of IOP-lowering eye drops on highly myopic eyes with retinoschisis showed a significant improvement of myopic retinoschisis, when compared to previous studies. These findings suggest the possibility of IOP-lowering eye drops delaying or improving the natural course of myopic retinoschisis.