Baseline parameters of the HELP study (long-term observation of Caucasians with pathologic myopia): distribution of age in pre-defined risk categories for developing a myopic choroidal neovascularization

Abstract

Purpose : This German research project is a prospective observational study in Caucasians with pathologic myopia and pre-defined disease patterns. The intention is to assess the natural progression of this disease within three years and to identify potential risk factors for the development of myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV).

Methods : Initially it was planned to enroll 50 patients per risk group, in total 250 subjects in a multicenter approach. The inclusion criteria, five different morphological risk factors in the study eye, were approved by an independent central reading center (CRC). Apart from an axial length of ≥ 26 mm the pre-defined groups where defined as: (1) subfoveal choroidal thinning < 50 µm, (2) choroidal curvature length > 6300 µm, (3) lacquer cracks, (4) patchy atrophy > 5 mm² and (5) preexisting mCNV in the fellow eye (German Clinical Trial Register DRKS00007761).

Results : After 2 years of recruitment, a total of 153 patients (66% females) with a mean age of 57.2 years (± 12.7), ranging from 21.9 to 86.2 years, were included . Age distribution was similar for the two groups subfoveal choroidal thinning and lacquer cracks, with a mean age of 57.1 (n=51) and 54.4 years (n=50) respectively. In the patchy atrophy group, data showed a shift in distribution to older patients (mean 63.7 years, n=22). Patients with preexisting mCNV in the fellow eye showed a mean age of 56.4 years (n=22). Furthermore it was shown that the risk factor choroidal curvature (5% of the total population, n= 8) was rarely found in the Caucasian population.

Conclusions : The HELP study is the first study that prospectively analyses risk factors for the development of mCNV in Caucasians in a large cohort. The data presented here suggest that the increased choroidal curvature, as defined by the protocol and described in the literature, is less frequent in Caucasians than in Asian population and the risk factor patchy atrophy might occur mainly in elderly Caucasian patients.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.