Abstract
Purpose
To assess occurrence and associations of myopic extrafoveal paravascular retinoschisis (EPR).Methods
Using optical coherence tomographic images of the optic disc and macula, taken in the population-based Beijing Eye Study, we assessed prevalence and associations of parapapillary retinoschisis.Results
The study included 3336 individuals (3336 eyes) with a mean age of 64.2 ± 9.6 years (range, 50-93) and a mean axial length of 23.4 ± 1.2 mm (range, 20.16-30.88). EPR prevalence (34/3336, 1.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6-1.4) increased from 1/3046 (0.03%) to 8/173 (4.6%; 95% CI, 1-8), 4/74 (5.4%; 95% CI, 0-11), 10/25 (40%; 95% CI, 19-61), and 11/18 (61%; 95% CI, 36-86) with axial lengths of ≤25.0 mm, 25.01 to 26.0 mm, 26.01 to 27.0 mm, 27.01 to 28.0 mm, and >28.0 mm, respectively. Higher EPR prevalence was associated (multivariable analysis) with higher prevalence of central retinal vessel trunk dragging (CRVTD) (odds ratio [OR] = 8.81; 95% CI, 3.02-25.7; P Conclusions
EPR was a common feature in eyes with severe/high axial myopia and was mainly associated with CRVTD and longer axial length or fovea-disc center distance. As a hypothesis, EPR, contrary to myopic foveoschisis, may be due to a stretching of the temporal large retinal vessels in highly myopic eyes, related to the fovea-disc distance elongation.