Ultrastructural and biomechanical characteristics of internal limiting membrane in high myopic macular hole / 中华实验眼科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the ultrastructural and biomechanical properties of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) in high myopic macular hole (HM-MH) eyes.Methods:ILM specimens were peeled from 14 eyes with HM-MH from August to December in 2017, and 16 eyes with idiopathic macular hole (IMH) in the same period were served as a control.Specimens were detected by immunefluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). This study followed the Declaration of Helsinki, and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center.Results:The immunofluorescence staining results showed that collagen Ⅳ was mainly distributed on the vitreal side and laminin on the retinal side of ILM in both groups.TEM findings revealed that the thickness of ILMs in the HM-MH group was (1.01±0.17)μm, which was significantly decreased compared with (1.92±0.21)μm in the IMH group ( t=12.880, P<0.001). The stiffness of the ILMs in the HM-MH group was (2.86±0.33)MPa, which was significantly higher than (0.88±0.23)MPa in the IMH group ( t=-12.650, P<0.001). The stiffness of the ILMs in the HM-MH group was positively correlated with the axial length ( r=0.832, P<0.001). Conclusions:Compared with IMH, the thickness of ILMs from HM-MH patients is thinner and the stiffness is higher, which contribute to a deep understanding of the pathogenesis of HM-MH.