Myopia-related optic disc and retinal changes in adolescent children from Singapore

Abstract

Purpose: To examine early myopia-related optic disc and retinal changes in a Singapore Chinese adolescent sample without confounding ocular or systemic disease. Design: Population-based cross-sectional study. Participants: Children aged 12 to 16 years at a follow-up visit for Singapore Cohort Study of Risk Factors for Myopia. Methods: Detailed eye examinations, including cycloplegic autorefraction and contact biometry, were performed. Retinal photographs were acquired using nonmydriatic retinal photography among children who attended follow-up examinations in 2006, and were graded for myopia-related optic disc signs and macular changes by a single experienced grader. Optic nerve head parameters were measured adjusting for camera and ocular magnification with appropriate formulae. Main Outcome Measures: Optic disc changes (tilt, beta peripapillary atrophy [β-PPA], and optic nerve parameters) and macular changes (staphyloma, lacquer cracks, Fuchs' spot, and chorioretinal atrophy). Results: Retinal photography data were available for 1227 children (median age, 14 years; range 1216). Tilted optic discs were found in 454 subjects (37%), and were associated with myopic spherical equivalent refractions (-3.6 diopters [D] vs -1.3 D; P