Relationship between ocular wavefront aberrations and refractive error in Chinese school children

The relationship between ocular wavefront aberrations and refractive error in children's eyes remains controversial. The purpose of this study is to re-examine this relationship in Chinese school children under natural distance accommodation.

Ocular wavefront aberrations were measured in 86 Chinese children with spherical equivalent refraction (SER) between +0.5 D and -6.0 D and astigmatism less than -1.00 D. Wavefront aberrations were calculated using an objective method based on the Hartmann-Shack principle. Refractive error was obtained using a phoropter after cycloplegia. Subjects were categorised into three groups based on the mean SER: emmetropia (SER from -0.50 D to +0.50 D), mild myopia (SER greater than -0.50 D to -3.00 D) and moderate myopia (SER greater than -3.00 D to -6.00 D). Of the 86 participants, 22 were emmetropic, 43 were mildly myopic and 21 were moderately myopic. The root mean square (RMS) values of higher-order aberrations, Zernike coefficients (third-, fourth- and fifth-order aberrations) and R(j) (the ratio of third-, fourth- or fifth-order aberrations to total higher-order aberrations) were compared across the three refractive groups.

No significant correlations were found between the RMS values of total higher-order aberrations, third-order aberrations, fourth-order aberrations, fifth-order aberrations, spherical aberration or coma and SER. No significant differences in the RMS values of total higher-order aberrations or R(j) were observed among the groups. The difference in fifth-order aberrations was statistically significant among the groups (p = 0.022); no other differences in higher-order aberration were found. Aside from C (3,1), no other differences were observed for Zernike coefficients.

Ocular wavefront aberrations are similar among Chinese school children with different refractive errors under natural accommodation for a distance target. There is no evidence that myopes have a different amount of ocular higher-order aberrations than emmetropes.