Thin Central Corneal Thickness May Be a Risk Factor for Myopia Progression in Children

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology and Vision Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Pediatric Optometry

Background:

• Myopia progression is a significant concern in pediatric eye care.
• Understanding factors influencing myopia progression is crucial for early intervention.
• Corneal biomechanical properties are increasingly recognized for their role in ocular health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between central corneal thickness (CCT) and the speed of myopia progression.
• To explore the relationship between CCT and axial length (AL) elongation speed in myopic children.
• To assess if CCT is associated with the age of myopia onset.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, multicenter study involving Chinese and Caucasian children with a minimum 12-month follow-up.
• Measurement of ocular biometry including central corneal thickness (CCT), axial length (AL), and other parameters.
• Calculation of spherical equivalent (SE) progression speed, AL elongation speed, and age of onset; data analyzed using R programming language.

Main Results:

• A significant negative correlation was found between CCT and the speed of myopia progression (SE) (R = -0.65, p < 0.001) and AL elongation speed (R = -0.47, p < 0.001).
• CCT was positively correlated with the age of onset (R = 0.35, p < 0.001).
• No significant correlations were observed between other ocular biometries (keratometry, anterior chamber depth, white-to-white distance, pupil size) and myopia progression speed or onset.

Conclusions:

• Central corneal thickness (CCT) is negatively correlated with both myopia (SE) progression speed and axial length (AL) elongation speed.
• Thinner CCT is associated with faster myopia progression in children.
• CCT may serve as a predictive factor for the rate of myopia progression.