Ciliary body thickness in unilateral high axial myopia

Purpose To compare the thickness of the ciliary bodies of eyes with unilateral high axial myopia with their relatively normal fellow eyes. Methods A total of 19 patients with unilateral high axial length (AL) were included in the study. Mean patient age was 28.4 +/- 10.4 (11-44) years. All eyes underwent ultrasound biometry to measure the AL, and ultrasound biomicroscopy to measure the anterior chamber depth, ciliary body thickness (CBT), and ciliary process thickness (CPT), ciliary muscle thickness (CMT). The results were compared between each subject's high myopic eye and relatively normal fellow eye. Results The mean AL was 27.24 +/- 1.52 mm (range: 25.16-30.21 mm) in high myopic eyes and 23.64 +/- 0.86 mm (range: 22.47-25.10 mm) in normal fellow eyes. The median +/- 95% confidence interval of CBT, CPT, and CMT was 1.350 +/- 0.034, 0.626 +/- 0.072, and 0.698 +/- 0.057 mm, respectively, in high myopic eyes and 1.211 +/- 0.050, 0.535 +/- 0.064, and 0.644 +/- 0.065 mm, respectively, in normal fellow eyes. The anterior chamber depth, CBT, CPT, and CMT were significantly higher in myopic eyes compared with their relatively normal fellow eyes (P < 0.05). CMT significantly increased with age in both groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between age and CBT in both the groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion The CBT, CMT, and CPT are significantly higher in eyes with unilateral high axial myopia than in their relatively normal fellow eyes. Eye (2009) 23, 1176-1181; doi:10.1038/eye.2008.178; published online 13 June 2008