title: Classification of early dry-type myopic maculopathy with macular choroidal thickness.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the macular choroidal thickness in 2 types of early dry-type myopic maculopathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, observational, comparative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with a refractive error of less than -8 diopters were included and were classified into 2 groups. Group 1 consisted of 24 eyes with a tessellated fundus, and group 2 consisted of 33 eyes with diffuse chorioretinal atrophy, but not to the extent of patchy chorioretinal atrophy. These 2 groups were compared with regard to their clinical characteristics, refractive error, axial length, macular choroidal thickness, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Linear regression was used to evaluate the explanatory variables in terms of macular choroidal thickness and BCVA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients in group 1 were significantly younger and had better BCVA, less myopia, shorter axial length, and less staphyloma than those in group 2. Refractive error, axial length, and BCVA correlated significantly with macular choroidal thickness in group 2. However, no such significant correlations were observed in group 1. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age and macular choroidal thickness were the variables that associated most strongly with BCVA, whereas neither refractive error nor axial length was a significant predictor of BCVA. In group 2, eyes with lacquer cracks showed worse BCVA and thinner macular choroidal thickness than eyes without lacquer cracks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Macular choroidal thickness is an important factor in myopic maculopathy and can be a better indicator of its severity. These findings suggest that BCVA reduction in eyes with dry-type myopic maculopathy can be related to a thinner macular choroidal thickness and to the development of lacquer cracks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkuo Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan. wang.nankai@gmail.com
authors.forename: Nan-Kai
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chi-Chun
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Hsueh-Yen
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Yen-Po
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kuan-Jen
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wei-Chi
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lung-Kun
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Lan-Hsin
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Tun-Lu
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D058452:Axial Length, Eye; D001699:Biometry; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D002829:Choroid / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D008297:Male; D047728:Myopia, Degenerative / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007208:Indocyanine Green