Ophthalmic Physiol Opt . 2026 Apr 8. doi: 10.1007/s44402-026-00074-8. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: To evaluate macular thickness across different grades of myopia and examine its associations with axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent refraction (SER) using spec…
Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2026 Apr 8. doi: 10.1007/s44402-026-00074-8. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate macular thickness across different grades of myopia and examine its associations with axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent refraction (SER) using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 170 myopic subjects aged 18-35 years, comprising 44 low myopes (SER ≤ -0.50 to > -3.00 D), 86 moderate myopes (≤ -3.00 to > -6.00 D) and 40 high myopes without pathological changes (≤ -6.00 D). AL was measured using partial coherence interferometry and full, inner and outer retinal thicknesses were obtained for foveal, parafoveal and perifoveal regions with SD-OCT. SER was measured using an autorefractometer. Pearson's correlation analysed associations between macular thickness, AL and SER.
RESULTS: The mean age was 24.6 ± 4.9 for low, 24.3 ± 4.9 for moderate and 25.0 ± 5.2 years for high myopia. Mean AL increased with myopia severity (low: 24.2 ± 0.9 mm; moderate: 24.8 ± 0.8 mm; high: 26.0 ± 0.9 mm; p < 0.001). Inner perifoveal thickness decreased with increasing myopia (low: 108.5 ± 6.9 µm; moderate: 107.2 ± 6.3 µm; high: 104.5 ± 6.8 µm; p = 0.02) and correlated negatively with AL (r = -0.34, p < 0.001) and SER (r = -0.33, p < 0.001) across all participants. Full perifoveal thickness also correlated with AL (r = -0.34, p < 0.001) and SER (r = -0.28, p < 0.001), whereas outer perifoveal thickness correlated only with AL (r = -0.26, p = 0.001). Other macular subfields, including the central fovea and remaining outer retinal layers, showed no significant associations across all participants.
CONCLUSIONS: Myopia is linked to localised thinning of the inner perifoveal retina, while central foveal and outer layers remain preserved, highlighting region-specific retinal changes and the importance of layer-specific OCT assessment for early detection.
PMID:41949790 | DOI:10.1007/s44402-026-00074-8