Permeability of the blood-retinal barrier in myopia. An analysis employing vitreous fluorophotometry and computer simulation.

Abstract

Vitreous fluorophotometry was performed in 165 eyes of 93 cases with various degrees of myopia. The age range was 10-39 years. On background of the significant correlation between the refractive diopter value and the length of vitreous cavity, a simulation model for myopia has been established for assessing the permeability of the blood-retinal barrier. Significant negative correlations between the diopter and P-in and the diopter and D-p were found, indicating that by increasing degree of myopia, the functional disorder of the blood-retinal barrier and the liquefaction of the posterior vitreous gel progress. From the comparative study between eyes with slight myopia and eyes with emmetropia, a significant increase in the length of the vitreous cavity and P-in was found in the former, whereas no significant difference was observed in D-p. Therefore, it is suggested that the functional disorder of the blood-retinal barrier in myopia produces the liquefaction of the posterior vitreous gel.