Choroidal neovascularisation. Credit: Sonia Samtani, Juan Amaral, Mercedes Campos, Robert Fariss, Patricia Becerra, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health

A Japanese and Chinese hospital-based study of myopic macular neovascularisation (MNV) in highly myopic eyes found severe grades of myopic maculopathy, prior myopic MNV in the fellow eye, presence of patchy atrophy and prior foveal retinal detachment each to be MNV risk factors.

The records of 5,409 eyes (2,784 patients) were reviewed by researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University and several Beijing institutions, including Capital Medical University. According to their findings, the highest statistically significant MNV risk factors were prior myopic MNV in the fellow eye (OR=4.11), prior foveal retinal detachment (OR=3.27) and poorer baseline best-corrected visual acuity (OR=2.098).

Authors added eyes with MNV and patchy atrophy require an intensive follow-up examination for myopic patients as the fellow eye has a >70% risk of developing myopic MNV in three years and nearly 80% in five years.