Clinical Ophthalmology

The Elongating Eye: Anterior and Posterior Segment Implications of Myopia in Clinical Practice

Myopia is commonly reduced to a refractive error corrected by lenses, yet axial elongation remodels the entire globe. As the eye grows, the sclera thins and remodels, the vitreous liquefies and separates prematurely, the choroid attenuates, and the retina and its pigment epithelium are stretched over an expanding surface. The anterior segment changes in parallel, with a deeper anterior chamber, altered corneal biomechanics, zonular laxity and earlier nuclear opacification. Structural consequences such as staphyloma, peripapillary deformation and lacquer cracks are the visible endpoint of a process that begins long before any lesion appears.

Myopia is projected to affect half the world population within a generation, and high myopia is already a leading cause of irreversible visual loss in several countries. The clinical burden falls on both segments. Long eyes challenge biometry and intraocular lens power calculation, complicate phacoemulsification, and raise the question of phakic lens sizing, vault and endothelial safety. The same eyes carry lifelong risk of peripheral degeneration and retinal detachment, myopic traction maculopathy, choroidal neovascularisation and glaucoma, that is notoriously difficult to diagnose against a myopic disc. However, scientific evidence is currently still fragmented.

This Article Collection welcomes clinical research on myopia across both segments. Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Biometry and lens power formulas in long eyes
• Cataract surgery outcomes and complications
• Corneal refractive surgery and ectasia risk
• Phakic intraocular lenses
• Ocular surface change after refractive procedures
• Scleral and choroidal remodelling
• Myopic maculopathy
• Traction maculopathy and neovascularisation
• Dome-shaped macula
• Peripheral retinal degeneration and detachment
• Optic disc assessment and glaucoma in myopic eyes
• Multimodal imaging in myopic eyes
• Axial length control strategies

Original research, reviews, commentaries, clinical trial reports, and protocols are welcome.

Submission Instructions:

During submission (in step 2 "About paper"), you will see a question asking "Are you interested in submitting to an article collection?" Please select the radio dial for "Yes". Then select "The Elongating Eye: Anterior and Posterior Segment Implications of Myopia in Clinical Practice" from the drop down menu.

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo full peer review; Guest Advisors will not be handling submitted articles. Please review the journal’s aims and scope and author submission instructions prior to submission. Standard Article Publishing Charges apply.

Authors interested in the responsible use of AI should review Taylor & Francis's AI policies.

If you have any questions about this Article Collection, please contact Krista Thom at Krista.Thom@taylorandfrancis.com.

Guest Advisors:

Dr. Livio Vitiello is a consultant ophthalmologist working at Eye Unit, “Luigi Curto” Hospital (Italy), with a particular interest in medical retina and ocular ultrasound. His clinical and research activities focus on retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vascular disorders. He is currently attending a second-level Master’s program in Posterior Segment Imaging at the “Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS” in Rome. He is actively involved in clinical research and international scientific collaboration.

Prof. Giuseppe Giannaccare is Full Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Ophthalmology Residency Program at the University of Cagliari (Italy). He is Chairman of the Eye Clinic at the University Hospital of Cagliari (Italy). He serves as an Italian Ambassador for Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) and European Association for Vision and Eye Research (EVER). His research areas involve cornea and ocular surface diseases as well as artificial intelligence.

Dr. Claudio Iovino earned his M.D. degree from the University of Naples Federico II (Italy) and completed his ophthalmology residency at the Eye Clinic, University of Cagliari. He has conducted clinical observerships at the Stein Eye Institute, UCLA in Los Angeles, and at Tel Aviv Medical Center, Israel. Dr. Iovino has authored and co-authored more than one hundred peer-reviewed articles and is involved in many international research projects and clinical trials. His research interest focus is retinal imaging and surgical retina.

Disclosure Statement: Dr. Vitiello is a consultant for Abbvie, Bayer and Roche. Prof. Giannaccare is a consultant for Essilor Luxottica, Diadema Farmaceutici, and Alfa Intes. Dr. Iovino is a consultant for Espansione Group.