Myopic maculopathy: a review.

Pathological myopia is a major cause of irreversible vision loss and is the fourth to ninth most frequent cause of blindness in the world. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathological myopia is the leading cause of vision impairment in patients younger than 50 years. New scientific contributions have been made to the understanding of high myopia and associated CNV. New treatments have been used in recent years, and the results are still controversial. This paper is an updated review of pathological myopia--its definition and progression, epidemiology and genetics--and a review of myopic CNV including the natural history, epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenic mechanisms and treatment.