Purpose: To investigate the association of retinal sensitivity with microstructural features in optical coherence tomography (OCT) of high myopic eyes.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 78 eyes (78 patients). Microstructural features on spectral-domain OCT, such as the integrity of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), ellipsoid zone (EZ), and external limiting membrane (ELM) and outer retinoschisis, were evaluated at each retinal location corresponding to microperimetric testing points.
Results: For all testing points, retinal sensitivity was significantly associated with the integrity of the RPE, EZ, and ELM (all P < 0.001) based on OCT but not with outer retinoschisis (P = 0.183). A higher category of myopic maculopathy according to the Meta-Analysis of Pathologic Myopia classification was associated with lower mean retinal sensitivity (P < 0.001). In eyes with patchy atrophy (PA), mean retinal sensitivity of testing points adjacent to the PA lesion (15.7 ± 6.8 dB) was greater than points within or at the PA border (2.6 ± 5.2 dB; P < 0.001) but lower than distant points (19.6 ± 4.3 dB; P < 0.001). Microstructural features in OCT were well correlated with the differences in retinal sensitivity according to myopic maculopathy severity and proximity to the PA lesion.
Conclusions: In highly myopic eyes, retinal sensitivity on microperimetry was strongly associated with microstructural features in OCT. Both retinal sensitivity and microstructure were affected by the severity of myopic degeneration and proximity to the PA lesion.