Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate longitudinal changes of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT) profile arising in the course of childhood myopia progression. Thirty-six eyes of 36 healthy children who showed myopia progression (spherical equivalent [SE] decrease of ≥ 2.0 diopters [D]) were included. To account for the axial-elongation-induced magnification effect on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) measurements, we calculated the proportion of quadrant-cpRNFLT distribution (i.e., the percentage of cpRNFLT within a single quadrant of total cpRNFLT). During 4.1 ± 1.1 years, the mean SE changed from -1.3 ± 0.9 to -4.3 ± 0.8D, and both the optic disc tilt ratio and the torsional angle increased (both P < 0.001). In the temporal quadrant, the cpRNFLT proportion was increased from 19.2 ± 1.86 to 24.4 ± 2.30% (P < 0.001). The cpRNFLT proportion in 3 quadrants (i.e., superior, inferior, nasal) showed decreases (all P < 0.001). Between baseline and follow up, the scan-circle location as determined by OCT was shifted mostly (94%; 34 of 36 eyes) toward the nasal side of the optic disc. With scan-circle repositioning to match the baseline, cpRNFLT distribution proportions did not show any significant difference between the baseline and follow up (all P > 0.05). For longitudinal evaluations of patients with myopia progression, scan-circle alteration should be given due consideration.
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to evaluate longitudinal changes of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness profile arising in the course of childhood myopia progression
Since axial elongation in myopic eyes tends to be accompanied by structural optic nerve head (ONH) and peripapillary area alterations where glaucomatous damage is incurred[6,7,8,9,10], the myopic optic disc provides information that can expand our understanding of glaucoma p athophysiology[11,12,13]
2 with poor-quality fundus photography (1 had OCT artifact) and 1 who was diagnosed with associated uveitis over the course of the follow up were excluded from further analysis
Summary
The purpose of this study was to evaluate longitudinal changes of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT) profile arising in the course of childhood myopia progression. Kang et al showed that in young myopic eyes without additional ophthalmic abnormalities, axial length (AXL) affects average cpRNFLT and its d istribution[20] They reported that with longer AXL, temporal cpRNFLT increased while the other sectors thicknesses decreased. Leung et al, having analyzed SD-OCT data on 189 healthy myopic participants, showed that the RNFL distribution angle on an RNFL thickness map decreased with increasing myopia[21]. It should be noted, that those studies had cross-sectional designs, which limited the insights that could be drawn from their data regarding the time courses of cpRNFLT changes associated with myopia development and progression. We analyzed data on cpRNFLT, distribution profiles, and ONH-morphologic alterations
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