Ocular Biometry Percentile Curves and Their Relation to Myopia Development in Indian Children

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pediatric Optometry
• Biometry

Background:

• Myopia prevalence is increasing globally, particularly in children.
• Establishing normative ocular biometry data is crucial for early detection and intervention.
• Previous studies have lacked specific percentile values for Indian pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate ocular biometry percentile values for Indian children aged 6-12 years.
• To assess the utility of these percentiles in predicting myopia development.
• To aid in monitoring and early intervention strategies for childhood myopia.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study (Sankara Nethralaya Tamil Nadu Essilor Myopia Study - STEM).
• Objective refraction and ocular biometry (axial length, corneal curvature) measured in 4514 children (grades 1, 4, 6).
• Percentile curves generated; predictive value for myopia onset analyzed using follow-up data.

Main Results:

• Baseline myopia prevalence was 11.7% in the study cohort.
• Axial length (AL) and AL/corneal curvature (AL/CR) ratios showed significant linear trends with age and grade.
• AL/CR ratio percentiles (50th, 75th) demonstrated good predictive value (AUC 0.72-0.79) for myopia onset; combined AL and centile shift improved AUC to 0.83.

Conclusions:

• The study provides the first specific ocular biometry percentile values for Indian children aged 6-12.
• These centile values are valuable tools for monitoring ocular growth and identifying children at high risk of myopia.
• The findings support the use of ocular biometry percentiles for proactive myopia management in pediatric populations.