Peripheral and posterior pole retinal changes in highly myopic Chaoshan Chinese children and adolescents 

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with peripheral and posterior pole retinal changes in highly myopic Chinese children and adolescents. Methods: : A prospective, consecutive case series and cross-sectional study was designed. One-hundred-and-twenty subjects with high myopia were recruited and underwent cycloplegic refraction, dilated fundus examination, and optical coherence tomography. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the factors associated with the development of peripheral and posterior pole retinal changes. Results: : The mean spherical equivalent refraction of the subjects was - 8.74 ± 2.86 D, and the mean age of the subjects was 11.45 ± 3.02 years. The most common peripheral retinal changes were snowflake retinal degeneration (27.5%), white without pressure (27.5%), snail-track degeneration (15.00%), and lattice degeneration (15.00%). The most common posterior changes were optic nerve crescent (78.3%) and posterior staphyloma (11.7%). Subjects with peripheral retinal changes had significantly older age and higher myopia compared with subjects without peripheral retinal changes (12.08 ± 3.08 vs. 10.71±2.79 years, -9.26 ± 3.25 vs. -8.13 ± 2.19 D, respectively, both p < 0.05). The presence of optic nerve crescent was associated with thinner choroidal thickness and a higher degree of refractive error (183.35 ± 62.1 µm vs. 219.69 ± 66.82 µm, -9.00 ± 3.08 vs. -7.81 ± 1.55 D, respectively, both p < 0.05). Conclusion: A substantial proportion of the subjects were found to have peripheral and posterior retinal changes. There is an increased risk of retinal changes in eyes with a higher degree of myopia, longer axial length, older age, and thinner choroidal thickness in individuals aged 7–16 years.