Myopia-CNVM

What is Myopia?

Nearsightedness is known as Myopia. It is a common condition where one can see the near objects clearly, but the distant objects are not clear. This is caused by extra elongation of the eyeball during ones growing years and thinning of the retina. This may result in wearing minus number glasses so that the image is formed on the retina and one can see the distant objects clearly.

What is a CNVM?

Choroid is a layer of the eye beneath the retina. Choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) are new damaging blood vessels that grow from the choroid and break through the barrier between the retina and the choroid and grow beneath the retina. These new abnormal blood vessels are very leaky and they leak blood or fluid in the retina which cause a decrease of vision and if not managed on time may result in severe loss of vision. There are several causes of CNVM formation but when CNVM occurs in myopic patients (with high minus number glasses) then it is known as Myopic CNVM

What are the common symptoms of Myopic CNVM?

It usually occurs in one eye therefore till we don’t close one eye we at times may not have any symptoms. There will be blurring of the vision, distortion of the images and sometimes seeing a black spot in the center which is stationary and does not move with the movement of the eye.

What are the possible investigations my doctor may advise to me for myopic CNVM?

Your doctor will do a complete eye examination including the dilatation of the pupils and checking the retina. It maybe followed by optical coherence tomography (OCT), optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA)

What are the treatment modalities for a myopic CNVM?

To stop the further growth of these new blood vessels you maybe advised injections inside the eye performed after an informed consent and under strict aseptic precautions. These injections have anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs which retard the growth of these new blood vessels. There are multiple drugs available and your doctor will educate you regarding them during the treatment planning. Multiple injections maybe required for adequate treatment.