Morphology and incidence of drusen-like deposits in peripheral retina of eyes with high myopia

To determine the morphology and incidence of peripheral drusen-like deposits (DLDs) in eyes with pathological myopia (PM) using ultra-widefield (UWF) fundus photographs and UWF optical coherence tomographic (OCT) images.

Retrospective, observational case series study.

We reviewed the medical records of 676 patients (1352 eyes) with high myopia (HM) who were examined in the Advanced Clinical Centre for Myopia between 2017 and 2021. The main outcome measures were the incidence and morphological characteristics of the DLDs in the peripheral retina detected by ultra-widefield (UWF) imaging devices.

Sixty-six of the 1352 (4.9%) eyes had peripheral DLDs. In 5 eyes, the DLDs were found at the staphyloma edge. The mean age of the patients was 70.0 ± 13.0 (range, 46.0–92.0) years, and the mean axial length was 29.8 ± 2.4 mm. Myopic macular neovascularization (MNV) was found in 41 of the 66 eyes with DLDs (62.1%). Patients with drusen in Zone 2 were significantly older than those in Zone 3 (80 ± 13 vs 64 ± 13 years; P < 0.001).

Ultra-widefield images showed that peripheral DLDs were present in 4.9% of highly myopic eyes. The findings in eyes with DLDs may provide a basis for the evaluations of the natural progression of peripheral retinal changes in eyes with PM.