Effects of direct intravitreal dopamine injection on sclera and retina in form-deprived myopic rabbits

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate morphologic changes of retina and sclera in form-deprived myopic rabbits following intravitreal dopamine injection.

Methods: Neonatal rabbits were monocularly deprived of form vision by suturing the right eyelids after natural eye opening. In the form deprivation (FD) group, the right eye received FD alone. In the dopamine-form deprivation (DA-FD) group, the deprived eye received an intravitreal injection of 20 microg of dopamine every 5 days for a total of 4 injections. In the saline-FD group, the deprived eye received saline injections to the same schedule as the DA-FD group. The untreated contralateral eyes were used as controls. After an 8-week treatment period, the effects of DA on sclera and retina anterior and posterior to the equator were evaluated by light and electron microscopy.

Results: Treated eyes in the FD and saline-FD groups developed form deprivation myopia. These eyes had markedly reduced scleral thickness and smaller diameter scleral collagen fibrils posterior to the equator. In addition, the normal gradient of fibril size from the outer to the inner layers of the posterior sclera was absent in the treated eyes of both the FD and saline-FD groups. In contrast, posterior scleral thickness was greater in DA-FD eyes than in contralateral controls. A distinct swelling of retinal pigment epithelium mitochondria was observed in the treated eye of the DA-FD group, but no obvious retinal abnormalities were found in the treated eyes of the other two groups.

Conclusions: The sclera, especially posterior sclera, plays an important role in both the induction and inhibition of myopia. An additional finding was that changes in the sclera of rabbits with low myopia were similar to those of the sclera of other mammals with high myopia. The results of this study will contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of myopia development and inhibition by intravitreal dopamine injection.