Multimodal analysis of clinical characteristics associated with myopic retinoschisis

Abstract Purpose To analyse the clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with myopic retinoschisis (MR) and its severity. Methods In the case–control study, 200 highly myopic eyes with MR and 398 without MR were enrolled. All participants have recorded demographic characteristics and medical history. Axial length (AXL), epiretinal membranes (ERMs), vitreoretinal traction (VT), dome‐shaped macula (DSM), macular outward scleral height (MOSH), and subfoveal CT were evaluated to describe ocular characteristics. Univariate analysis was used to analyse the differences in characteristics between the eyes with and without MR, as well as among the eyes exhibiting varying grades of MR. Following this, multivariate logistic regression was conducted to identify significant risk factors associated with MR and its severity. Results In univariate analysis, the MR eyes had more keratorefractive surgeries, older age, longer AXL, greater MOSH, thinner subfoveal CT, higher rates of ERMs, VT as well as vertical DSM than the eyes without MR (all p < 0.05). Besides, there were significant differences in age, AXL, subfoveal CT, MOSH and rate of keratorefractive surgery, ERM as well as VT among different severities of MR (all p < 0.05). The further multivariate analysis revealed ERMs, VT, greater MOSH and subfoveal choroidal thinning were significantly associated with MR and its severity escalation (all p < 0.05), whereas a longer AXL was correlated with a decrease in MR severity ( p = 0.018). Conclusions ERMs, VT, higher MOSH and subfoveal choroidal thinning were significant risk factors for MR and its severity escalation, while axial elongation correlated with lower grades of MR.