The Alterations of Ocular Surface Microbiota Facilitate the Progression of Myopia

This study explored the ocular surface microbiota in individuals with high myopia (HM) and pathological myopia (PM) compared with normal control(NC) group, aiming to identify if changes in the microbial community are linked to the development and advancement of myopia. Ocular swabs were collected from 67 participants and subjected to V3-V4 16S rRNA sequencing, including 21 individuals of HM with longer axial length(HML) group prone to progress into PM, 22 individuals of HM with shorter axial length(HMS) group which represented common high myopia, and 24 normal control(NC) group. Comparative analyses were conducted to assess microbial diversity, composition, and compositional differences associated with biological characteristics of eye and lifestyle habits.