Background/Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether there is a significant change in eyeball curvature in eyes with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Methods: The medical records of 35 eyes of 18 patients with RP and age- and axial-length-matched controls were reviewed. The curvature of the posterior pole was determined by approximating a second-order polynomial equation based on the optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. Associations among eyeball curvature, refractive error, and axial length were investigated. Results: The average age of patients with RP was 65.1 ± 13.8 years, and the average axial length of the eye was 23.90 mm. The curvature of the posterior eyeball was steeper in eyes with RP (p = 0.020), and the choroid was thinner in eyes with RP (p < 0.01). The curvature of eyes with RP significantly correlated with refractive error (p = 0.006, r = -0.46) and axial length (p = 0.004, r = -0.48). Conclusions: The significant correlation between eyeball curvature and axial length suggests that myopia affects eyeball shape even in eyes with RP. However, the curvature remained steep in the eyes with RP after matching for age and axial length. A thinner choroid was observed in eyes with RP and may play a role in the steeper posterior eyeball.
Keywords: choroidal thickness; curvature; optical coherence tomography; retinitis pigmentosa.