A recent study published in BMJ Open Ophthalmology evaluated choroidal vascular changes in younger patients with myopia using ultrawide-field (UWF) full-range swept-source OCTA (SS-OCTA). Choroidal vascular thickness (ChVT) and density (ChVD) were analyzed across 3×3 grids using built-in software.

The findings revealed that myopia significantly affects the thickness and density of choroidal blood vessels in both central and peripheral regions of the fundus. ChVT and ChVD were negatively correlated with axial length across all nine grids. Notably, early-stage myopia showed obvious choroidal thinning in the optic disc grid, while a significant decrease in ChVD was observed in later stages. This reduction in blood supply may play a critical role in the development of high myopia-related complications such as glaucoma and choroidal neovascularization.

The study utilized a 400 kHz swept-source OCTA device (BMizar, TowardPi Medical). With its built-in algorithms, the device enables acquisition of UWF OCTA images of the choroid. Choroidal parameters, including thickness and the choroidal vessel index, can be analyzed with high reproducibility.

This research was conducted by Dr. Xiangcheng Tang and the team led by Prof. Shaochong Zhang and Prof. Kun Zeng at Shenzhen Eye Hospital.

Link to the original text: https://bmjophth.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001839