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Astigmatism and the development of myopia in children

J Gwiazda1, K Grice, R Held

  • 1Myopia Research Center, The New England College of Optometry, 424 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. gwiazdaj@ne-optometry.edu

Vision Research
|March 18, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Infantile astigmatism, common in young children, is linked to higher rates of astigmatism and myopia later in childhood. This suggests early focusing issues or eye growth may play a role in vision development.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Pediatric Optometry

Background:

  • Astigmatism is more common in infants and young children than adults.
  • The functional significance of infantile astigmatism, particularly in emmetropization and myopia development, remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between infantile astigmatism and the development of astigmatism and myopia during childhood.
  • To explore potential mechanisms linking early astigmatism to later refractive errors.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 245 subjects from infancy.
  • Regular follow-up with an average of 16 manifest refractions per subject over 6-23 years.

Main Results:

  • Infantile astigmatism was found to be associated with increased astigmatism in later childhood.
  • A correlation was observed between infantile astigmatism and the development of myopia during school years.

Conclusions:

  • Early-onset astigmatism may disrupt normal visual focusing mechanisms.
  • Ocular growth processes could potentially induce both astigmatism and myopia in children.

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