title: Pathologic changes in highly myopic eyes of young males in Singapore.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study describes the pathologic changes in the retina of a group of young Asian subjects with myopia worse than -10 diopters spherical equivalent (SE) refraction.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consists of 20 male subjects undergoing preemployment screening for public service for a 1-year period from 2009 to 2010. A detailed series of visual tests of function, fundus examination and grading, ocular biometry and posterior segment optical coherence tomography were performed for all eyes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 21 eyes with mean SE of -10.88 diopters, [standard deviation (SD) , 1.28 diopters], and mean age of 21.8 years (SD, 1.3 years) were included. Out of 21 eyes, 17 (81.0%) had beta peripapillary atrophy, 10 (47.6%) had clinically detectable optic disc tilt, 1 (4.8%) had positive T-sign and 18 (85.7%) had retinal tessellation, 4 (19.0%) had posterior vitreous detachment and 14 (66.7%) had peripheral retina degeneration. The mean retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness was 92.48 mm (SD, 9.99 mm).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  None of the 21 highly myopic eyes had features of myopic retinopathy but most of these young males had clinically visible myopia-associated abnormalities of the optic disc, vitreous and peripheral retina. Generally, these eyes had thinner RNFL. Further longitudinal studies are required to investigate if these eyes will eventually develop complications of pathological myopia.
authors.affiliation: Vision Performance Centre, Military Medicine Institute, Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore.
authors.forename: Victor Tc
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Gerard Km
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Nah
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Adeline H X
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Sheng Tong
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohno-Matsui
authors.forename: Tien Yin
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Seang Mei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Saw
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D015862:Choroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy; D009896:Optic Atrophy / Q000175:diagnosis; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000473:pathology; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D057972:Posterior Eye Segment / Q000473:pathology; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D012846:Singapore; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods; D014787:Vision Tests; D014792:Visual Acuity; D020255:Vitreous Detachment / Q000175:diagnosis; D055815:Young Adult