BIOMECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CORNEOSCLERAL TUNIC AND THE STATE OF THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE SYSTEM IN THE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS PRESENTING WITH VARIOUS FORMS OF PROGRESSIVE MYOPIA

Moscow Helmholtz Research Institute of Eye Diseases The present comprehensive study was designed to evaluate the biomechanical characteristics of the corneoscleral tunic and the state of the connective tissue system in 155 children and adolescents at the age varying from 9 to 17 (mean 13.4 ± 2.1) years differing in terms of clinical refraction for the development of informatively valuable diagnostic criteria for the compromised supportive function of the sclerotic coat in the patients presenting with congenital and acquired forms of progressive myopia with the complicated or uncomplicated clinical course. It was shown that the local biochemical abnormalities associated with progressive myopia (such as reduced corneal hysteresis and scleral acoustic density) are associated with general manifestations of connective tissue dysplasia, relatively reduced cortisol level, and disturbed balance of the vegetative nervous system (an increased absolute value of the Kerdo index). Congenital myopia and myopia with the complicated clinical course are characterized by some specific features of the aforementioned abnormalities that must be taken into consideration in diagnostics and prognostication of further development of the disease. It is recommended that the Kerdo index and the articular hypermobility index readily accessible to measurement in the framework of the routine ophthalmological examination should be used as the additional criteria for monitoring the clinical symptoms of myopia, the choice of the treatment strategy for individual patients (including indications for subsequent sclerotherapy), and assessment of its effectiveness.