CLINICAL FEATURES OF PATCHY CHORIORETINAL ATROPHY IN PATHOLOGIC MYOPIA

Purpose: To reveal clinical features of patchy atrophy in pathologic myopia and investigate the status of the Bruch membrane and retinal pigment epithelium by swept-source optical coherence tomography. Methods: This study reviewed highly myopic patients who visited the high myopia clinic between January 2015 and February 2018. Wide-field photographs and wide-field fundus autofluorescence fundus images were used as the primary method for identifying PAs, and swept-source optical coherence tomography images were used for investigating the retinochoroid status of PAs. Results: Four hundred fifty-six PAs were detected in 137 eyes (118 patients). Patchy atrophys were located most often in the macular area (28.3%), followed by the inferior (25.9%), temporal (18.9%), nasal (14.5%), and superior (12.5%) region. All 210, PAs which had been fully or partially scanned by swept-source optical coherence tomography, showed a retinal pigment epithelium defect, and 174 (82.9%) PAs showed a Bruch membrane defect on the available scans. In 101 (82.8%) of 122 PAs with clearly detectable borders of the retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch membrane defect, the Bruch membrane defects were smaller than the retinal pigment epithelium defects. A dome-shape inward bulging of the sclera was observed in 10 PAs. Conclusion: These morphological findings may provide a basis for exploring the biomechanical etiology of the PAs as part of the development of pathologic myopia.