PURPOSE: To examine biometric factors that may influence the high incidence of myopia in pre-term children at 12 to 24 months of age. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty eyes of 25 patients with myopia and 70 eyes of 35 patients with emmetropia at 12 to 24 months of age were selected from a group of preterm children who had been screened for retinopathy of prematurity and returned for follow-up examinations. Forty eyes of 20 full-term children of the same age were also included in the study as a control group. A-scan ultrasonography was performed to measure axial length, lens thickness, and anterior chamber depth in the three groups. RESULTS: The myopic group had a significantly greater axial length than did the other groups. However, the three groups did not differ in lens thickness or anterior chamber depth. The degree of myopia increased with the increase in axial length and the decrease in anterior chamber depth. CONCLUSIONS: The development of myopia in preterm children 12 to 24 months of age appears to be influenced mainly by axial length, whereas the degree of myopia seems to be related to axial length and anterior chamber depth. Among refractive components, axial length plays a major role in myopia occurring at this age in preterm patients.
PURPOSE: To examine biometric factors that may influence the high incidence of myopia in pre-term children at 12 to 24 months of age. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty eyes of 25 patients with myopia and 70 eyes of 35 patients with emmetropia at 12 to 24 months of age were selected from a group of preterm children who had been screened for retinopathy of prematurity and returned for follow-up examinations. Forty eyes of 20 full-term children of the same age were also included in the study as a control group. A-scan ultrasonography was performed to measure axial length, lens thickness, and anterior chamber depth in the three groups. RESULTS: The myopic group had a significantly greater axial length than did the other groups. However, the three groups did not differ in lens thickness or anterior chamber depth. The degree of myopia increased with the increase in axial length and the decrease in anterior chamber depth. CONCLUSIONS: The development of myopia in preterm children 12 to 24 months of age appears to be influenced mainly by axial length, whereas the degree of myopia seems to be related to axial length and anterior chamber depth. Among refractive components, axial length plays a major role in myopia occurring at this age in preterm patients.
Authors: William F Carroll; Jorge Fabres; Tim R Nagy; Marcela Frazier; Claire Roane; Frank Pohlandt; Waldemar A Carlo; Ulrich H Thome Journal: J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr Date: 2011-09 Impact factor: 2.839