A clinical study of the development of posterior vitreous detachment in high myopia.

PURPOSE

The correlation of age, axial length, and myopic chorioretinal atrophy with vitreous changes in high myopia were analyzed to investigate the development of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in high myopia.

METHODS

The vitreous condition of 329 consecutive eyes with high myopia (more than -8.25 diopters (D) and more than 26.0 mm of axial length) was examined biomicroscopically with a +90-D preset lens and a Goldmann three-mirror contact lens.

RESULTS

The prevalence of PVD in high myopia was 12.5% in patients between 20 and 29 years of age, and it increased with age. The incidence of PVD in eyes with axial length of more than 30.0 mm was 60.7% and was statistically higher than the prevalence in eyes with an axial length of less than 29.9 mm (P < 0.01). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age and axial length were statistically significant factors in the development of PVD and lacuna formation in high myopia (P < 0.01), but the influence of chorioretinal atrophy was not significant.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study suggest that liquefaction of the vitreous begins at a relatively young age in patients with high myopia and progresses with age and axial elongation, thus resulting in a frequent occurrence of PVD.