Morphology and microcirculation changes of the optic nerve head between simple high myopia and pathologic myopia

PURPOSE: To investigate morphological and microcirculation changes of optic nerve head (ONH) in simple high myopia (SHM) and pathologic myopia(PM) to evaluate and identify ONH changes in the development of PM. METHODS: A cross-sectional clinical study was used. Medical records from 193 right eyes of 193 patients with high myopia (HM) were included. Using the Topocon swept source optical coherence tomograph (SS-OCT) and fundus camera to detect the parameters, we have assessed the relative position and size of ONH, tilt and rotation of ONH, angle α (Defined as between retinal temporal arterial vascular arcades was measured from the centre of ONH with 250 pixels’ radius), size and type of peripapillary atrophy (PPA), the thickness of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (PRNFL), peripapillary choriodal thickness (PCT) and peripapillary scleral thickness (PST), and peripapillary vessel density (PVD). In addition, subjects were grouped as SHM and PM according to retinopathy, and the above parameters were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Patients were divided into the SHM group (138 eyes) and the PM group (55 eyes). Paramters like older age, higher diopter and longer axial length (AL) of the PM were compared to SHM (t=-3.585, -8.808, -11.409, all P<0.05). There were no differences in the smallest diameter and area of ONH, rotation angle and ratio, or PST (all P>0.05). The angle α in PM was smaller than that in SHM (t = 2.728, P<0.01). The disc-fovea distance (DFD), the largest diameter, tilt index and ratio, PPA area and radian in PM were larger than in SHM (t=-3.962, Z=-2.525, t=-2.229, Z=-4.303, Z=-2.834, all P<0.05). The superior and inferior PRNFLs in PM were smaller than in SHM (t = 4.172, 4.263, all P<0.01). The temporoinferior PRNFL was the opposite (t=-2.421, P<0.01). The average PCT in PM (93.82 ± 29.96 μm) was smaller than in SHM (108.75 ± 30.70 μm) (P<0.05). The PVD in each direction of PM was smaller than that in SHM (t = 6.398, 4.196, 4.971, 3.267, 5.029, 5.653, 4.202, 5.146, 2.090, all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with SHM, the PM patients were older, with higher diopter. Their AL and DFD were longer, the angle α was smaller, the tilt index was more extensive, the PPA area and radian were larger, PCT was generally thinner, and PVD was lower. When the PPA area was bigger than the ONH area, this already indicated the presence of PM. Based on these results, we suggest ophthalmologists and myopia patients pay more attention to ONH’s morphology and microcirculation changes as there is a possibility that microcirculatory changes precede morphologic changes.