Optical coherence tomography findings in myopic traction maculopathy

Objective: To describe the features and incidence of epiretinal traction and related retinal damage in degenerative myopia. Design: Consecutive observational case series. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records and optical coherence tomography findings of 218 eyes, with high myopia of 121 consecutive patients to detect the incidence and features of epiretinal traction-related macular damage. The degree of myopia ranged from -8 to -26 spherical equivalent (mean SD +/- -16.93 +/- 5.74). Mean +/- SD axial length was 29.75 +/- 2.12 mm. Excluding eyes with possibly confounding features, 125 eyes were analyzed. Main Outcome Measure: Detection of epiretinal traction and related macular damage. Results: Epiretinal traction was found in 58 (46.4%) of 125 eyes and retinal damage, in 43 eyes (34.4%). Macular retinoschisis was the most frequent form of macular damage (25 eyes [58%]), followed by retinal thickening, lamellar hole, and shallow retinal detachment. Conclusions: Epiretinal traction is a frequent finding in degenerative myopia and, particularly if associated with the presence of staphyloma, can generate a form of macular damage unique to eyes with high myopia. This damage can affect up to one third of these eyes and should be considered as a separate cause of visual loss easily detected by optical coherence tomography at its early stages.