Myopic Peripapillary Pits with Spatially Corresponding Localized Visual Field Defects: A Progressive Japanese and a Cross-Sectional European Case

Abstract

We report 2 peripapillary pit cases, in which the isolated visual field defects spatially correspond to the pit-related retinal nerve fiber layer and optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography (OCTA) perfusion damage areas. A high myopic eye of a 39-year-old Japanese male patient, and a moderate myopic eye of a 47-years old Caucasian female patient were evaluated with OCT, OCTA, and visual field testing for peripapillary pits and spatially corresponding localized visual field defects. In the Japanese patient a temporal and in the Caucasian patient an inferotemporal peripapillary pit was confirmed, both spatially associated with a myopic peripapillary atrophy area. In both cases, the retinal nerve fibers herniated into the pit. En face OCT and OCTA revealed retinal nerve fiber bundle defects and reduced vessel density in the corresponding areas, both projecting to the pit. The visual field showed localized scotomas spatially corresponding to the nerve fiber bundle/OCTA defects in both patients. The visual field defect was a progressing (extending and deepening) paracentral scotoma in the Japanese patient, and a localized superior paracentral and superior arcuate scotoma in the Caucasian patient. Our cases show that peripapillary pits occurring in both Japanese and white European eyes can cause localized retinal nerve fiber bundle and OCTA damage and visual field defects of which some can worsen during the follow-up. To separate scotomas due to peripapillary pits and glaucoma is therefore of clinical importance and requires special attention from ophthalmologists.

Keywords

• high myopia
• optical coherence tomography angiography
• peripapillary pit
• retinal nerve fiber layer thinning
• visual field defect