Preliminary study of glycosaminoglycan metaboism in high myopia

The authors selected randomly 20 patients with high myopia (over 8 D) between 3 and 15 years of age. The amounts of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) excreted with urine were compared with those of a control group formed by 10 age-matched emmetropic subjects. An increase in GAG urinary excretion in myopic subjects suggested an alteration of metabolism of GAGs, which are highly represented in eye tissues. However, it is difficult to determine whether altered GAG metabolism in high myopia is associated with an accelerated catabolism or with an increased synthesis, and whether it may be the is cause or the consequence of high myopia