Accommodation and peripheral retinal defocus in school-age myopic children

To investigate the influences of accommodation on peripheral retinal defocus in school-age children with corrective glasses before and after cycloplegia.

In total, 69 children, aged 7-12 years, with spherical equivalent between +1.75 D and -9.75 D were recruited. Peripheral retinal defocus values (RDV) before and after cycloplegia were measured using multispectral refraction tomography (MRT), and compared among different severities of myopia. The correlation between retinal defocus and axial length was also evaluated. The parameters were measured in different circular areas (15°, 30°, 45°, and 53°), annular areas (15°-30°, 30°-45°, and 45°-53°), and quadrants (superior, inferior, temporal, and nasal). Data was obtained from the right eyes of all participants. An average of three values was used for analysis.

Before cycloplegia, significant variations were identified in the inferior retinal quadrant across different severities of myopia and age groups. After cycloplegia, multiple retinal areas showed significant differences among different severities of myopia, while there were no differences in each area among different age groups. After cycloplegia, retinal defocus shifted significantly towards more hyperopic across all areas, except for the RDV-15° area. Superior retinal defocus was positively correlated with axial length before and after cycloplegia, whereas inferior retinal defocus was negatively correlated with axial length before cycloplegia.

This study revealed various distribution of defocus across different retinal areas in school-age children. Peripheral retinal defocus can be induced with cycloplegia. Alterations in accommodation can influence peripheral retinal defocus in school-age children.