Correlation between the Pattern of Myopic Fundal Changes and the Axis of Astigmatism of the Eye
- Riyaz Ahmad1,
- Mouhamad Al-Aqaba2,
- Usama Fares2,
- Ahmad Muneer Otri2,
- Ammar Miri2,
- Dalia G Said2,
- Harminder Singh Dua2
- 1 Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham and Rotheram district general hospital, United Kingdom;
- 2 Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: harminder.dua{at}nottingham.ac.uk
- Received 20 March 2009
- Accepted 13 July 2009
- Published Online First 27 August 2009
Abstract
Aims: Myopic fundal changes have been studied in great detail, clinically and pathologically. To our knowledge correlation between these changes and the axis of astigmatism has not been studied before. This study was conducted to assess the correlation, if any, between the pattern of myopic fundal changes and the axis of astigmatism.
Methods: 69 eyes (42 patients) with one or more characteristic myopic fundal change were prospectively studied. The pattern of myopic changes were recorded by fundus photography. The deep/longest axis of the crescent and peripapillary atrophy (PPA) was determined and ascribed a value in degrees in a manner similar to the axis of astigmatism in refraction. Refraction was then carried out. The axis of PPA and that of the crescent was correlated with the axis of myopic astigmatism and the coefficient of correlation determined (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient).
Results: A statistically significant correlation was found between the axis of compound myopic astigmatism and the long axis of myopic retinal degeneration (r=0.89 p<0.001) and with the deep axis of disc crescents (r=0.80 p-<0.001).
Conclusion: Astigmatism is likely to have an aetiopathogenic association with myopic fundal changes.
