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. 2021 Aug:209:108653.
doi: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108653. Epub 2021 Jun 5.

Relationship of the cornea and globe dimensions to the changes in adult human crystalline lens diameter, thickness and power with age

Ashik Mohamed  1 , Sushma Nandyala  2 , Arthur Ho  3 , Fabrice Manns  4 , Jean-Marie A Parel  5 , Robert C Augusteyn  3
Affiliations

Relationship of the cornea and globe dimensions to the changes in adult human crystalline lens diameter, thickness and power with age

Ashik Mohamed et al. Exp Eye Res. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

It is well known that human crystalline lens shape, dimensions and optical properties change throughout life and influence whole eye refraction. However, it is not clear if lens properties are associated with other ocular parameters. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship of corneal and external globe dimensions with adult lens diameter (LD), lens thickness (LT) and lens power (LP) in order to determine if external factors influence lens properties. Postmortem human eyes (n = 66, age = 20-78 years) were obtained from the Ramayamma International Eye Bank, Hyderabad, India. Globe antero-posterior length (GAPL) and mean (average of horizontal and vertical) diameters of cornea (MCD) and globe (MGD) were measured using digital calipers. Eyes were dissected to produce ocular structures that contain the lens maintained in its accommodating framework, including intact zonules, ciliary body and sections of sclera. Specimens were mounted in a mechanical lens stretching system. LD, LT and LP were measured using high magnification retro-illumination photography, slit illumination photography and Scheiner principle-based optical system respectively in the unstretched (accommodated) state. Relationships between external globe and corneal dimensions and LD, LT or LP were assessed by multiple regression analysis. Age (0.012 ± 0.003 mm/year; p<0.001) and GAPL (0.185 ± 0.045 mm/mm; p<0.001) were significant (p<0.0001) predictors of LD. After adjusting for age-related increases, LD appears to be positively correlated with GAPL. Age (0.010 ± 0.004 mm/year; p = 0.009) and GAPL (-0.143 ± 0.060 mm/mm; p = 0.02) were significant (p = 0.001) predictors of LT. After adjusting for the age-related increase, LT appears to be negatively correlated with GAPL. Only age was a significant predictor of LP (-0.26 ± 0.04 D/year; p<0.001). The results suggest that, apart from aging, lens diameter and thickness are dependent on the anteroposterior length of the eye globe. Lens power is not influenced by globe dimensions.

Keywords: Cornea; Crystalline lens; Diameter; Globe; Length; Multiple regression; Power; Thickness.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations of interest: None for all authors.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:. Ocular dimensions and age.
Changes with age in (A) globe antero-posterior length (GAPL), mean globe diameter (MGD) and mean corneal diameter (MCD) and (B) lens diameter (LD) and lens thickness (LT).
Figure 2:
Figure 2:. Interrelationships of ocular dimensions.
Regression analysis of lens diameter on globe antero-posterior length (A), on mean globe diameter (B) and on mean corneal diameter (C) and regression analysis of lens thickness on globe antero-posterior length (D), on mean globe diameter (E) and on mean corneal diameter (F).
Figure 3:
Figure 3:. Lens power and age.
Changes with age in lens power (−0.26 D/year).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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