Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 15, 2026
12:08
Telomere Length and Telomerase Activity; A Yin and Yang of Cell Senescence
Published on: May 22, 2013
47.3K
Risk Factors for Adult Axial Length Elongation: A 5-Year Population-Based Cohort Study
Taiga Inooka1, Yuki Kimura1, Shota Fujikawa1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
Ophthalmology Science
|January 14, 2026
Summary
Adult axial length (AL) elongation is uncommon. Risk factors for severe AL elongation include longer baseline AL, greater asymmetry, myopic maculopathy, and female sex, informing health-check follow-up decisions.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biometry
- Public Health
Background:
- Adult axial length (AL) elongation is linked to pathological outcomes.
- Population-based longitudinal data on AL elongation and risk profiling are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence and annual rate of AL elongation in adults.
- To identify independent determinants of AL elongation in a health-check cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 4016 adults (8032 eyes) from a Japanese health-check program with a median follow-up of 5.31 years.
- Annual AL change estimated using linear regression; severity classified as severe, moderate, mild, or nil.
- Ordinal logistic regression and pair-level change-point analysis used to identify determinants and critical AL thresholds.
Main Results:
- 98.6% of eyes showed nil or mild AL elongation; moderate and severe elongation were rare (1.3% and 0.2%).
- Determinants of greater AL elongation severity included longer baseline AL (OR 1.34), larger interocular AL difference (OR 7.18), myopic maculopathy (OR 2.79), and female sex (OR 3.05).
- A change-point analysis indicated an intersection near 28.56 mm in the longer eye, above which faster elongation became more probable.
Conclusions:
- Adult AL elongation is generally uncommon and slow.
- Risk is concentrated in individuals with longer baseline AL, greater axial asymmetry, myopic maculopathy, and in females.
- These findings can guide follow-up strategies in health-check settings, with specific AL thresholds potentially aiding risk stratification.
Related Concept Videos
02:20Longitudinal Research
13.1K
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
13.1K
01:12General Case of Eccentric Axial Loading
458
Unsymmetrical bending occurs when the bending moment applied to a structural member does not align with its principal axis. This misalignment leads to complex stress distributions and deflection patterns that differ from symmetrical bending, which are essential for designing structures to withstand different loading conditions.
Consider a member subjected to equal and opposite forces that are applied along a line that does not coincide with the member's neutral axis. In unsymmetrical...
Consider a member subjected to equal and opposite forces that are applied along a line that does not coincide with the member's neutral axis. In unsymmetrical...
458
01:09Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
3.4K
The upper and lower limb initially develops as a small bulge called a limb bud, which appears on the lateral side of the early embryo. The upper limb bud appears near the end of the fourth week of development, with the lower limb bud appearing shortly after.
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
3.4K
01:26Longitudinal Studies
473
Longitudinal studies are also widely used in other medical and social science fields. For instance, in cardiovascular research, they can monitor patients' health over decades to identify risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or smoking, and evaluate the long-term effectiveness of preventive measures. Similarly, in mental health studies, researchers might follow individuals from adolescence into adulthood to understand the development and progression of conditions like...
473
01:18Polygenic Traits
68.9K
When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
68.9K
01:10Nature and Nurture
22.2K
Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience,...
22.2K