Abstract
ObjectivesValidation of choroidal thickness and other biometrics measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in predicting lacquer cracks formation in highly myopic eyes.MethodsPatients with a refractive error worse than −8 diopters and moderate myopic maculopathy were recruited into two groups based on the presence or absence of lacquer cracks (36 eyes without and 33 eyes with lacquer cracks). Choroidal thickness, refractive error, and axial length were measured and subjected to receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to identify the optimal cutoff values at predicting lacquer crack formation. The width of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), RPE to the inner segment/outer segment line, RPE to the external limiting membrane were also measured and compared to the subfoveal choroidal thickness to assess their relationships as potential markers of lacquer crack formation.ResultsLacquer crack is associated with decreased choroidal thickness, lower best-corrected visual acuity, longer axial length and higher refractive errors. Choroidal thickness has the strongest association with lacquer crack formation versus axial length and refractive error. In eyes with lacquer cracks, stellate lacquer cracks are associated with thinner choroidal thickness compared to eyes with linear lacquer cracks. Subfoveal choroidal thickness less than the width of the retinal pigment epithelium to the inner segment/outer segment line is also associated with lacquer crack formation (sensitivity 78.8%, specificity 88.3%, and accuracy 81.2%).ConclusionsThis study suggests that choroidal thickness and other SD-OCT measurements could be employed clinically to predict the development and severity of lacquer cracks in patients with high myopia.
Highlights
Visual impairment caused by myopic maculopathy is usually bilateral and irreversible, and may result in blindness
In a previous study by our group, we showed that choroidal thickness is a better indicator for the classification of myopic maculopathy than axial length or RE
We found that age and macular choroidal thickness were the variables most strongly associated with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), whereas neither RE nor axial length was a significant predictor of BCVA
Summary
Visual impairment caused by myopic maculopathy is usually bilateral and irreversible, and may result in blindness. In a previous study by our group, we showed that choroidal thickness is a better indicator for the classification of myopic maculopathy than axial length or RE. We determined that vision reduction in eyes with dry myopic maculopathy was associated with a decreased macular choroidal thickness and the development of lacquer cracks [12]. The prevalence of lacquer cracks is 4.3%–9.2% in highly myopic eyes [18,19,20]. Patients with lacquer cracks are at high risk of visual impairment because lacquer cracks may lead to further adverse changes in the fundus, such as patchy chorioretinal atrophy or myopic choroidal neovascularization [19]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
