Clinical Study
Eye (2008) 22, 551–555; doi:10.1038/sj.eye.6702789; published online 27 April 2007
Assessment of macular retinal thickness and volume in normal eyes and highly myopic eyes with third-generation optical coherence tomography
Authors have no financial interests in the study
This work has previously been presented at the 21st Congress of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology
P-C Wu1,2, Y-J Chen1, C-H Chen1, Y-H Chen1, S-J Shin2, H-J Yang3 and H-K Kuo1
- 1Department of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center; Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- 2Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- 3Tzu-Hui Junior College of Health Care and Management, Ping Tung, Taiwan
Correspondence: H-K Kuo, Department of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, 123, Ta-Pei Road, Niao-Sung Hsiang, Kaohsiung Hsien, 883, Taiwan. Tel: 886 7 7317123 ext. 2801; Fax: 886 7 7318762; E-mail: d2767@adm.cgmh.org.tw
Received 7 November 2006; Accepted 16 February 2007; Published online 27 April 2007.
Abstract
Purpose
To compare the macular retinal thickness and macular volume between subjects with high myopia and non-myopia.
Methods
This prospective nonrandomized, comparative study recruited healthy subjects with high myopia subjects, defined as a spherical equivalence (SE) over -
6 dioptres (D) or AXL
26.5 mm and the best corrected visual acuity better than 20/25, and subjects with non-myopia, defined as an with SE between 1.5D and -
1.5 D and the BCVA better than 20/25. Optical coherence tomography was performed in each eye.
Results
Eighty high myopic eyes and 40 non-myopic eyes were included. The mean age of the high myopic group and non-myopia group was 29.6 and 27.5 years old, respectively. The mean refraction was –9.27 D in the high myopia group and –0.22 D in the non-myopia group. The high myopia group had significantly greater mean retinal thickness in the foveola and fovea 1 mm area than the non-myopia group (166 vs149 
m, P<0.0001, 199 vs188 m, P=0.0063, respectively). However, the mean retinal thickness in the inner and outer macular area (superior, nasal, inferior, or temporal) of the high myopia group was significantly less than in the non-myopia group. In addition, the high myopia group had significantly smaller macular volume than the non-myopia group (P<0.0001).
Conclusion
This study demonstrated that the retinal thickness in individuals with high myopia is thicker in the foveola and fovea, but thinner in the inner and the outer macular region. The retina of individuals with high myopia had smaller macular volume than those with non-myopia.
Keywords:
myopia, fovea, macula, retinal thickness, optic coherence tomography
