A pilot study on the differences in wavefront aberrations between two ethnic groups of young generally myopic subjects.

A comparative population-based cross-sectional study design was used to examine the prevalence of wavefront patterns in two different ethnic groups, and the relationship of these patterns with ocular biometrics and gender. The Shin-Nippon SRW5000 open field autorefractor, the Wavefront Analysis Supported Customized Ablation (WASCA) wavefront analyser and the IOLMaster were used to determine wavefront aberrations, mean spherical equivalent (SE) refractive error and axial length (AL). Seventy-four eyes from 74 young healthy subjects (44 British Asians, 30 Caucasians; 36 men, 38 women; mean age 22.51 +/- 3.89 years) with mean SE averaging -1.90 +/- 2.76 D (range -10.88 to +2.19 D) were examined. Relationships between ethnicity, gender, AL and SE, against the wavefront high-order root mean square, and aberration components up to the fifth order, were assessed by using multiple regression and correlation analysis. AL on its own accounted for 4.7% of the variance in trefoil component Z(-3)(3) (F(1,72) = 4.602; p = 0.035), 13.7% of coma component Z(1)(3) (F(1,72) = 12.536; p = 0.001), 6.1% of trefoil component Z(3)(3) (F(1,72) = 5.705; p = 0.020) and 9.8% of coefficient Z(-2)(4) (F(1,72) = 8.908; p = 0.004). A significant model emerged (F(2,71) = 6.164; p = 0.003) for ethnicity and axial length, accounting for 12.4% of variance in primary spherical aberration with ethnicity accounting for 8.4% of that variance. For Caucasian subjects, a significant correlation was found between axial length and (Pearson's correlation coefficient -0.500; p = 0.005) and Z(0)(4) (Pearson's correlation coefficient -0.423; p = 0.020). For British Asian subjects, AL was only correlated with coefficient Z(-2)(4) (Pearson's correlation coefficient -0.358; p = 0.017). Ethnicity is a factor to be considered in the variability of wavefront aberration, particularly spherical aberration. Relationship between AL and wavefront aberrations seems to vary between ethnicities. If higher order aberrations play a role in the emmetropization process, this may be different for different populations.