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. 2004 Jan;88(1):5-7.
doi: 10.1136/bjo.88.1.5.

Intraocular pressure associations with refractive error and axial length in children

A J Lee  1 , S-M Saw, G Gazzard, A Cheng, D T H Tan
Affiliations

Intraocular pressure associations with refractive error and axial length in children

A J Lee et al. Br J Ophthalmol. 2004 Jan.

Abstract

Aim: To assess whether intraocular pressure (IOP) is associated with refractive error or axial length in children.

Methods: Of subjects from the Singapore Cohort Study of the Risk Factors for Myopia (SCORM), 636 Chinese children aged 9-11 years from two elementary schools underwent non-contact tonometry, cycloplegic autorefraction, and A-scan biometry during 2001. For analyses, refractive error was categorised into four groups; hypermetropia (spherical equivalent refraction (SE) > or = +1.0D), emmetropia (-0.5D<SE< +1.0D), low myopia (-3.0D<SE< or = -0.5D) and high myopia (SE< or = -3.0D).

Results: Of the 636 children examined, 50.6% were male. The mean IOP was 16.6 (SD 2.7) mm Hg. There were no significant IOP differences between low (mean IOP = 16.4 (2.8) mm Hg) or high myopes (16.7 (2.5) mm Hg) and emmetropes (16.7 (2.9) mm Hg), p = 0.57. IOP was not correlated with spherical equivalent refraction (Spearman correlation, r = 0.009) or axial length (r = 0.030). In regression analyses adjusting for diastolic blood pressure, neither spherical equivalent (regression coefficient = 0.014) nor axial length (regression coefficient = 0.027) were significantly associated with IOP.

Conclusion: These findings do not support an association between IOP and refractive error or axial length in children. This questions postulated roles of IOP in the pathogenesis of myopia.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of right eye intraocular pressure in Chinese schoolchildren (n = 636).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation between intraocular pressure and spherical equivalent (right eye data).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation between intraocular pressure and axial length (right eye data).
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Comment in

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