Assessment of the correlational relationship of morphofunctional eye parameters in young patients with progressive myopia

The prevalence of myopia, particularly high myopia, continues to increase and can lead to irreversible blindness. Objective. To evaluate the dynamics of axial length and choroidal thickness in eyes with different degrees of myopia and their impact on visual function. Materials and Methods. Sixty patients (120 eyes) aged 25.3 ± 4.5 years were examined. Patients were divided into four groups based on the degree of myopia and axial length: mild myopia (axial length 24.1–24.9 mm), moderate myopia (25.0–26.5 mm), high myopia (≥27.0 mm), and a control group with emmetropic eyes (22.1–24.0 mm). Measurements were taken twice-at baseline and after 12 months. Results. Axial length increased over one year: by ±0.014 mm in mild myopia, ±0.023 mm in moderate myopia, and ±0.038 mm in high myopia. Choroidal thickness decreased in all sectors of the eye (nasal, temporal, and foveal) over the year. The most pronounced thinning was observed in patients with high myopia, especially in the foveal and temporal zones, while the nasal sector changed the least. Correlation analysis revealed a strong negative relationship between axial length and choroidal thickness (foveal zone r = –0.90, nasal sector r = –0.88, temporal sector r = –0.85; p<0.05). Best-corrected visual acuity decreased proportionally to the degree of myopia. Conclusion. Optical coherence tomography allows for early detection of structural changes. Progressive axial elongation and choroidal thinning are associated with reduced visual function, particularly in high myopia.