Changes in lens power in Singapore Chinese children during refractive development

To examine changes in lens power during refractive development in Singapore Chinese children.

Children aged six to nine years from three Singapore schools were invited to participate in the Singapore Cohort study Of the Risk factors for Myopia (SCORM) study. Cycloplegic refractions and biometry were measured annually in the schools over a five year period from 1999. Children were classified into five refractive error groups: persistent hyperopia, emmetropizing hyperopia, persistent emmetropia, newly developed myopia, or persistent myopia. Crystalline lens power was calculated using Bennett's formula. The rate of change per year across the refractive groups was adjusted for age and sex using General Linear Models.

There were 1747 children with at least three sets of measurements for lens power calculations. The mean age at baseline was 7.94 ± 0.84 years and the mean spherical equivalent refraction was -0.41 ± 1.71 diopters (D). Lower lens power and lower lens thickness were associated with persistent myopia. As expected, the newly developed myopes and the persistent myopes showed the largest changes in axial length (AL). Changes in lens power and thickness at follow-up were similar in all refractive groups, except for the newly developed myopes, who showed significantly greater decreases in lens power (0.36 vs. 0.29 D/year; P < 0.001) and lens thickness (0.015 vs. 0.0003 mm/year; P < 0.001) than the persistently emmetropic group.

Newly developed myopes showed a significantly greater decrease in lens power than other refractive groups, which may be linked to rapid changes in AL and refraction that occur around the onset of myopia.