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mCNV
About Myopic Choroidal Neovascularization (mCNV)

mCNV

mCNV is the name given to central vision loss (the loss of the ability to see things straight ahead) caused by the growth of abnormal blood vessels at the back of your eye, in an area known as the macula.1

Line diagram of the cross-section of an eye. The pupil is a gap in the front of the eye, the lens is an oval shaped section behind the pupil, the retina is the inner layer of the back of the eye, with a purple patch on it which is labelled the macula, and the optic nerve is a line leaving the back of the eye.

mCNV is a ‘complication’, as opposed to a stand-alone condition, because it develops from another condition— myopia (more commonly known as near-sightedness). mCNV can occur in patients with any degree of short-sightedness. However, the small subset of near-sighted individuals most at risk are those with severe (also known as high) near-sightedness, especially when pathologic, meaning it has caused structural changes in the eye, such as the formation of new blood vessels.2

Severe near-sightedness predicted to affect ~1 billion people worldwide by 2050 (reference 2)… making mCNV the leading cause of permanent blindness worldwide (reference 3)” with a cartoon of the world.

At current, near-sightedness affects around 30% of the world, so although mCNV only affects a small subset of these individuals, this still equates to a significant burden worldwide.3

References

  1. NHS Manchester Royal Eye Hospital Retinal Services Information for Patients. Treatment of Myopic Choroidal Neovascularisation (CNV). Accessible at: https://mft.nhs.uk/app/uploads/sites/2/2018/04/REH-213.pdf. Last accessed May 2025.
  2. Wong TY et al. Br J Ophthalmol. 2015;99(3):289-296.
  3. International Myopian Institute. Myopia. Available at: https://myopiainstitute.org/myopia/. Last accessed May 2025.