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The anterior chamber depth and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in children
Jacky W Y Lee1, Gordon S K Yau1, Tiffany T Y Woo1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Caritas Medical Centre, 111 Wing Hong Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Insights
In children, deeper anterior chamber depth (ACD) correlates with thinner retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and longer axial length. Myopic children exhibit the deepest ACD compared to emmetropes and hyperopes.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Optometry
Background:
- Anterior chamber depth (ACD) is a crucial ocular biometric parameter.
- Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness is an indicator of optic nerve health.
- Understanding ocular biometry in children is vital for monitoring visual development and eye health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between anterior chamber depth (ACD) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in children.
- To examine correlations between ACD and age, axial length (AL), and spherical equivalent in a pediatric cohort.
- To compare ACD among myopic, emmetropic, and hyperopic children.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 200 children aged 4-18 years was studied, excluding those with visually impairing eye conditions.
- Correlations were analyzed between ACD and RNFL thickness, age, spherical equivalent, and AL.
- Subjects were categorized into myopes, emmetropes, and hyperopes based on spherical equivalent for comparative analysis of ACD.
Main Results:
- A deeper ACD was significantly associated with thinner global RNFL, older age, more myopic spherical equivalent, and longer AL.
- The mean ACD was greatest in myopes (3.5 mm), followed by emmetropes (3.4 mm), and then hyperopes (3.3 mm).
- Even after age adjustment, myopic children demonstrated significantly deeper ACD compared to emmetropic and hyperopic children.
Conclusions:
- In children, increased anterior chamber depth is linked to thinner RNFL, advanced age, myopia, and longer axial length.
- Myopic children possess a deeper anterior chamber compared to their emmetropic and hyperopic peers.
- These findings highlight important biometric differences in the pediatric eye and may inform future research on refractive error development and progression.
Purpose:
To investigate the correlation of anterior chamber depth (ACD) with the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, age, axial length (AL), and spherical equivalent in children.
Subjects:
Consecutive subjects aged 4 to 18 were recruited. Visually disabling eye conditions were excluded. Only the right eye was included for analysis. The ACD was correlated with RNFL thickness, age, spherical equivalent, and AL for all subjects. Subjects were then divided into 3 groups based on their postcycloplegic spherical equivalent: myopes (<-1.0 D), emmetropes (≥-1.0 to ≤+1.0 D), and hyperopes (>+1.0 D). The ACD was compared among the 3 groups before and after age adjustment.
Results:
In 200 subjects (mean age 7.6 ± 3.3 years), a deeper ACD was correlated with thinner global RNFL (r = -0.2, r(2) = 0.06, P = 0.0007), older age (r = 0.4, r(2) = 0.1, P < 0.0001), myopic spherical equivalent (r = -0.3, r(2) = 0.09, P < 0.0001), and longer AL (r = 0.5, r(2) = 0.2, P < 0.0001). The ACD was deepest in myopes (3.5 ± 0.4 mm, n = 67), followed by emmetropes (3.4 ± 0.3, n = 60) and then hyperopes (3.3 ± 0.2, n = 73) (all P < 0.0001). After age adjustment, myopes had a deeper ACD than the other 2 groups (all P < 0.0001).
Conclusions:
In children, a deeper ACD was associated with thinner RNFL thickness, older age, more myopic spherical equivalent, and longer AL. Myopes had a deeper ACD than emmetropes and hyperopes.
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