Retinal topography of myopic eyes: a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate topographic characteristics of the retina in myopic eyes.

METHODS

We reviewed spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) images of patients with myopia retrospectively. Retinal topography (RT) was defined as the topography of the retinal pigment epithelium layers. Retinal topographies were classified into several types, and the distribution and characteristics of each type were assessed in eyes with varying degrees of axial length (AL).

RESULTS

A total of 167 subjects with myopia were included in this study. Seventy eyes (41.9%) were classified as regular (R) type, 48 (28.7%) were wave (W) type, 32 (19.2%) were band (B) type, and 17 (10.2%) were pond (P) type. The distribution of these types varied significantly among eyes with different degrees of AL (P < 0.001); R-type was predominant in eyes with 24 mm less than or equal to AL less than 26 mm, and P-type in eyes with AL greater than or equal to 28 mm. The retina sloped away from the cornea more frequently on the nasal side than it did on the temporal side or in between the nasal and the temporal sides, with the exception of the P-type RT. Topography of the central zone was frequently slanted, except in B-type eyes. The difference between the refractive and corneal astigmatism of eyes with P-type RT was greater than that of B-type eyes (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Retinal topography varies according to the degree of AL. This variation in RT may originate from the differences between healthy eyes and highly myopic eyes, and may be related to the optical characteristics of the eye.