Association of birth weight with corneal aberrations in adulthood - Results from a population-based study
Achim Fieß1, Michael S Urschitz2, Markus Nagler3
1Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
Insights
Low birth weight (BW) is linked to altered corneal shape and increased spherical aberrations in adulthood. This may impact visual function later in life.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Corneal Physiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Low birth weight (BW) is associated with corneal abnormalities in childhood and adulthood.
- These corneal changes may contribute to reduced visual function in individuals with low BW later in life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term effects of low birth weight on corneal aberrations in adulthood.
- To analyze the relationship between self-reported BW and various corneal aberrations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Scheimpflug imaging (Pentacam HR) in the German Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) cohort (n=5,628, age 40-80).
- Employed linear regression for uni- and multivariable analyses to assess the association between BW and corneal aberrations (astigmatism, coma, trefoil, spherical aberration, higher-order aberrations).
Main Results:
- Lower BW was significantly associated with decreased horizontal trefoil.
- Lower BW was also associated with higher spherical aberrations, higher root-mean square (RMS) of aberrations, increased higher-order aberrations (HOA), and increased lower-order aberrations (LOA).
- No association was found between BW and other corneal aberrations.
Conclusions:
- A significant association exists between lower birth weight and increased spherical aberrations in adults aged 40-80.
- These findings suggest that low BW may influence corneal shape development, potentially affecting optical image quality and visual function in later life.
Purpose:
Low birth weight (BW) is associated with increased corneal aberrations in childhood and alterations of corneal geometry in adulthood. Increased corneal aberrations may be a factor contributing to decreased visual function in former low BW newborns in later life. Hence, the aim of this study was to analyze the long-term effect of low BW on corneal aberrations in adulthood.
Methods:
In the German population-based Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) participants (age: 40-80 years) were examined with Scheimpflug imaging (Pentacam HR, Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany). The relationship between self-reported BW and the different types of corneal aberrations was analyzed using linear regression analysis as uni- and multivariable analysis with adjustment for potential confounders. The main outcome measures were corneal aberrations defined as astigmatism (Z2-2; Z22), coma (Z3-1; Z31), trefoil (Z3-3; Z33), spherical aberration (Z40) and root-mean square of higher order aberrations (HOA; 3rd up to 8th order; aperture size: 6 mm).
Results:
Overall, 5,628 participants were included in this analysis (3,004 women, aged 56.0 +/- 10.3 years). In a multivariable analysis lower BW was associated with decreased horizontal trefoil (B = 0.004 [0.001; 0.006] µm/500 g; p=.008); higher spherical aberrations (B=-0.006 [-0.008;-0.003] µm/500 g; p<.001), higher RMS (B=-0.028 [-0.042;-0.014] µm/500 g; p<.001), increased HOA (B=-0.007 [-0.010;-0.003] µm/500 g; p<.001) and increased LOA (B=-0.027 [-0.041;-0.013] µm/500 g; p<.001). No association was observed between birth weight and the other types of corneal aberrations in multivariable model.
Conclusion:
Our results indicate an association between BW and spherical aberration in adults aged 40 to 80 years. This indicates that low BW may have an association with an altered corneal shape development which may affect optical image quality and, hence, visual function.
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