Relationship between myopic progression and growth spurts in children aged 7-16 years

There is a supposition that eyeball growth may be associated with growth spurts, especially at puberty. This study assessed the relationship between changes in height, axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent (SE) in children who may or may not be receiving myopia treatment.

Children aged 7-16 years were recruited into a cohort study. Age, gender, ethnicity and treatment data were collected. Height, AL and cycloplegic SE were measured at baseline and after 1 year.

A total of 800 children (mean age 10.3 ± 1.6 years) were recruited, of whom 91.5% were ethnic Chinese and 47.8% were male. Of these, 106 (13.3%) were not receiving treatment, 607 (75.9%) were taking atropine and 87 (10.9%) were using myopia control glasses or contact lenses, with or without atropine. Change in height peaked earlier in females (9-10 years) than in males (11-12 years), while the change in AL was greatest in younger children and stabilised in late teens. Correlations between changes in height and AL were observed in all age and treatment groups, with the strongest correlation being observed in females aged 10-12 years. Multivariate analysis showed that AL and SE changes remained associated with height changes after adjusting for gender, age, ethnicity and treatment.

While height and AL followed different growth patterns, correlations existed across age and gender. Children undergoing larger growth spurts, particularly females aged 10-12 years, exhibited more pronounced AL elongation. While myopia treatments may blunt AL elongation, they do not decouple it fully from systemic growth.