High myopia and fundus retinopathy

[Chengtiantian]

Hello, doctor. I am 24 years old, -8.5D. After the last question, I found two Eye MD to evaluate my fundus retinal status, and they all said that everything was normal. The inspection results show that my axial length has increased by about 0.1mm compared with five years ago. Is this normal for an adult (Asian)? Can I be identified as pathological myopia?
There is a saying in China that "if the axial length exceeds 28mm, you will lose your sight after you are 45 years old". My axial length is 28.8mm and 28.6mm, so I am very anxious. I want to know whether this statement is reliable?Is the probability of retinal tears in adults with stable axial length the same in normal people and people with high myopia?
Thank you for your reply！！！

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

The statement is not true and has no scientific basis.  High myopes do have increased risk of eye problems such as retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration but most do not go blind, just like all smokers or all obese people do not have heart attacks.

[Chengtiantian]

Thank you for your reply!!!
I understand that the problem of macula seems to be related to aging? But retinal detachment is a lifelong risk. Is there any other way to prevent these diseases besides regular retinal assessment?
Is the probability of retinal tears in stable axial length less than that in unstable axial length?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Live healthy, avoid contact sports, protect your eye from heavy sun exposure, eat a good diet, see an ophthalmologist yearly or if problems, even among high myopes the risk of RD is less than 1 in a thousand, of course for normal eyes about 1 in 8-10,000. Get on with your life and don't obscess on this. Eat a good diet, fruits, vegetables, fish, berries, nuts. Don't get obese and avoid processed sugars.