High myopia as a risk factor in primary open angle glaucoma

Glaucoma, one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in the adult population worldwide, is a progressive optic neuropathy. Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most commonly reported type of glaucoma in population based prevalence studies worldwide. Elevated intraocular pressure is a well-known major risk factor for POAG. In addition, there is growing evidence that other risk factors like age, gender, race, refractive error, heredity and systemic factors may play a role in glaucoma pathogenesis. Many studies found that high myopia has been associated with POAG, however, direct and convincing evidences are still lacking. The aim of this review is to summarize the evidences implicating high myopia as a risk factor in the pathogenesis of POAG.