• myopia (another page)
• myopia and macula
• myopic macular degeneration
• myopic CNV
• treatment of myopic CNV

links

• myopia
• laser
• research

• Coping / Low vision
  • Hints & Coping
  • Coping with one eye
  • Magnification
  • Low Vision Assessment
  • Low vision Gateway (US)
• Support
  • Rehabilitation & local services
  • Birmingham Focus (link)
  • Walsall Eyes Newsletter
  • Macular Disease Society
  • Rehabilitation Centre
  • RNIB.talk and support
• Macula degeneration
  • Explanation (link)
  • Understanding
  • Pathology ARMD
• dry ARMD
• wet ARMD & Lucentis
  • wet ARMD
  • Lucentis treatment program
  • myopic macula degeneration
  • Macula degeneration: understanding
  • Risk simulation
  • Diabetic maculopathy (link)
  • PDT program
  • New drugs..Lucentis, Macugen, Avastin
  • A table comparing drugs
  • Studies published and in progress
  • Audio interview (NEJM)
• Types of wet ARMD
  • Occult type 1, PED
  • Occult type 2
  • Classic
  • Rip
  • Polypoidal
  • RAP
  • extensive subfoveal haemorrhage
• Myopia
  • refraction
  • dry macula changes
  • wet macula disease (CNV)
• Abbreviations
• Animations etc
  • Large diagram 1
  • Large diagram 2
  • wet /dry ARMD full size
  • Lucentis
  • SWF file for laptops: ARMD animation: 1mb
  • Excellent animation..link
• Cases for students etc
  • Case 1 ARMD etc
  • Case 2 hard drusen
  • Case 3 Central Serous Retinopathy
  • Case 4 Wet macular degn (CCNV)
  • Case 5 Occult CNV
  • Case 6 Soft drusen
  • Case Pre-macula haem
  • Case Bests
  • Case 10 PDT
  • Case 11 rip
  • Case 12 CNV
  • Case 13 CSR & PED
  • Case 14 Dry/Occult
  • Case 15 polypoidal
  • Case 16 myopic early CNV
  • Atlas...Bests, Haem
• Juvenile macular dystrophies
• Further information
  • dry ARMD (link)
  • US Aging Times Review
  • Links
  • RNIB page (link)
  • epidemiology
  • Genes
• Lifestyle
  • Alcohol
  • Smoking
  • Diet
  • Blood pressure
  • exercise

The macula is the central part of the retina. It is responsible for detailed vision: for reading, seeing faces, watching TV etc. 

Myopia is discussed here. Essentially myopia is an optical condition caused by having an  extra-long eyeball, so the eye may be 28 mm long instead of the normal 22.3mm, for example.

Because the eyeball is extra long the retina becomes very thin and may become damaged. If the macula is damaged (the central area of the retina), central vision will be affected. There may be distortion with bendy lines, or there may be a patch in the centre with no vision.

In myopia the eye is extra long, and the retina extra thin. See
This may lead to damage to the central area of the retina (the macula).

The main type of macula change in myopia is thinning of the retina in the macula area. This is not treatable, and gets worse slowly with age.

Central vision is affected, and reading, TV, crossing roads, seeing bus numbers, become difficult.

Low visual aids and help from the low vision team can be very helpful indeed. Everyone keeps their side vision, and no one becomes completely blind. Generally the worst outcome is partial sight.  

More severe thinning (atrophy) may occur after CNV (immediately below).

thin atrophic patches
develop in the macula area

photo    enlarge

In this type of myopic macula disease, new vessels grow in the macula area. 5% of highly myopic eyes (more than -6.00d) develop CNV.

This is similar to wet ARMD, but in myopia it may occur in much younger people. However, it is much commoner in older people with myopia.

These new vessels are called 'CNV'...choroidal new vessels or choroidal neoovascularisation, as the blood vessels originate in the choroid and grow under the retina.

The CNV cause retinal leakage and swelling. The condition progresses to cause a scar in the macular area. If the scar is small, sight is reasonable; if large, the sight can be very poor.

The long term prognosis is not good: most eyes develop less than <6/60 vision. Younger patients have a better prognosis..the CNV get walled off.

All types of wet ARMD (CNV) will progress 4 times faster in smokers, a 400% increase. In addition to smoking, high blood pressure, poor diet, lack of exercise increase the likelihood of progression and progression rate.

Myopic CNV Arevalo , Ruiz-Moreno,     Avastin, Chan 2008

Wakabayashi 09

New vessels growing under the central retina in myopia  (similar anatomically to regular CNV)     enlarge     

photo    photo    photo    photo