Fundus characteristics of high myopia in children

To evaluate the fundus characteristics of highly myopic eyes in children. We reviewed the medical records of 46 children (1 to 8 years old; mean age, 6.8 years) (80 eyes) with high myopia (4 D or more for children younger than 5 years, 6 D or more for children aged 6-8 years) seen consecutively during a 10-year period at the high-myopia clinic in our hospital. Children of up to 8 years of age at the initial visit were included in the study. Fundus examination revealed posterior staphyloma in only one eye (1.3%) and mild chorioretinal atrophy around the optic disc in 13 eyes (16.3%). There were no patients with choroidal neovascularization or geographic atrophy in the posterior fundus. Myopic peripapillary crescent was observed in 26 eyes (33.8%), but the area of the crescent was relatively small (mean, 0.5 disc area). The results of the present study showed that myopic fundus changes are uncommon and mild in children. They suggest that aging, in addition to mechanical stretching of the eyeball, might be important for the development of myopic fundus changes.