Association of Myopia and Intraocular Pressure With Retinal Detachment in European Descent Participants of the UK Biobank Cohort

Importance

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is a potentially sight-threatening condition. The role of myopia or intraocular pressure (IOP) in retinal detachment remains unclear.

Objective

To determine if myopia or IOP is associated with retinal detachment risk using genetic data.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Observational analyses and 2-sample mendelian randomization were used to evaluate the associations between myopia, IOP, and retinal detachment risk in European descent participants from the UK Biobank (UKBB) cohort (n = 405 692). For retinal detachment, a genome-wide association study on 4257 cases and 39 181 controls in the UKBB was conducted. Genetic variants associated with mean spherical equivalent (MSE) refractive error (n = 95 827) and IOP (n = 101 939) were derived using independent participants from the retinal detachment genome-wide association study. Recruitment to the UKBB occurred between 2006 and 2010, and data analysis occurred from February 2019 to March 2020.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The odds ratio (OR) of retinal detachment caused by per-unit increases in MSE refractive error (in diopters [D]) and IOP (in mm Hg).

Results

Of the 405 692 participants in the UKBB cohort, the mean (SD) age was 56.87 (7.96) years, the mean (SD) MSE was −0.31 (2.65) D, the mean (SD) corneal-compensated IOP was 16.05 (3.49) mm Hg, and 4253 participants (1.0%) had retinal detachment. Genetic analyses of the 4257 cases and 39 181 controls identified 2 novel retinal detachment genes:COL22A1(lead single-nucleotide variant rs11992725;P = 4.8 × 10⁻¹⁰) andFAT3(lead single-nucleotide variant rs10765568;P = 1.2 × 10⁻¹⁵). Genetically assessed MSE refractive error was negatively associated with retinal detachment (per-unit [D] increase in MSE refractive error: OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.69-0.76;P = 3.8 × 10⁻⁴⁴). For each 6-D decrease in MSE refractive error (representing the move of refractive error from emmetropia to high myopia), retinal detachment risk increased 7.2-fold (95% CI, 5.19-9.27). For per-unit (mm Hg) genetically assessed increase in IOP, the risk of retinal detachment increased by 8% (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.14;P = .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

This study provides genetic support for the assertion that myopia and IOP are associated with the risk of retinal detachment and that myopia prevention efforts may help prevent retinal detachment.