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Ocular component growth curves among Singaporean children with different refractive error status
Hwee-Bee Wong1, David Machin, Say-Beng Tan
1Health Services Research and Evaluation Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
Insights
Ocular component growth in Asian children shows faster axial length and vitreous chamber elongation in those with myopia. Lens thickness follows a U-shaped curve, and anterior chamber depth an inverted U-shaped curve.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Biometry
Background:
- Understanding ocular component growth is crucial for managing refractive errors in children.
- Longitudinal data on ocular growth patterns in diverse Asian populations are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe and compare ocular component growth curves in Singaporean children across different refractive error groups.
- To analyze the relationship between refractive error development and ocular biometry changes.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study analyzed data from 1775 Asian children (aged 6-10 years) with at least three annual visits.
- Cycloplegic refractive error and ocular biometry (axial length, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness) were measured.
- Growth curves were compared between five refractive error groups: persistent hyperopia, emmetropizing hyperopia, persistent emmetropia, incident myopia, and persistent myopia.
Main Results:
- Axial length and vitreous chamber elongated faster in younger children (<10 years), with elongation slowing with age.
- Children with incident or persistent myopia exhibited significantly faster axial length and vitreous chamber elongation compared to emmetropic children.
- Anterior chamber depth deepened until age 9-10 and then shallowed, while lens thickness showed a U-shaped growth pattern (thinning then thickening) in most groups.
Conclusions:
- Ocular component growth, particularly axial length and vitreous chamber depth, slows with age in young Asian children.
- Myopic progression is associated with accelerated ocular elongation.
- The observed growth patterns for anterior chamber depth and lens thickness suggest distinct developmental phases influencing refractive error.
Purpose:
To describe and compare ocular component growth curves among different refractive error groups in Singaporean children.
Methods:
Data collected yearly in 1775 Asian children aged 6 to 10 years with at least three visits were analyzed. Cycloplegic refractive error and biometry variables were measured by autorefractor and A-scan ultrasound machine. Growth curves were compared between five groups: persistent hyperopia of spherical equivalent (SE) > +1.00 D, emmetropizing hyperopia of SE > +1.00 D on the first visit and between -0.50 D and +1.00 D subsequently, persistent emmetropia of SE between -0.50 D and +1.00 D, incident myopia of SE
Results:
The axial length and vitreous chamber elongated faster in the children younger than 10 years, but elongation slowed with age. Growth patterns of axial length and vitreous chamber in the children with newly developed or persistent myopia (P < 0.01) showed faster elongation than in the emmetropic children. The anterior chamber deepened until approximately 9 or 10 years of age but became shallower as the myopic and emmetropic children grew older. Conversely, the lens thinned at younger ages and thickened at older ages for all except the persistently hyperopic children.
Conclusions:
In young Asian children, the axial length and vitreous chamber depth increased, but the elongation slowed with age. There was a U-shaped growth curve for lens thickness and an inverted U-shaped curve for anterior chamber depth. The findings of early lens thinning followed by thickening suggest a two-phase growth of the lens.
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