Normative data of corneal diameter and palpebral fissure height in a large cohort of South Indian children.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the normative data of horizontal visible iris diameter (HVID), vertical visible iris diameter (VVID), and palpebral fissure height (PFH) in a cohort of South Indian children. The study included 1,234 children from six schools of different regions of Tamil Nadu state, India. HVID, VVID, and PFH were measured using a simple millimeter ruler by three optometrists. Based on their age, the children were divided into three groups: preprimary school children (4-5 years), primary school children (6-10 years), and high school children (11-15 years). Mean age was 4.49 ± 0.50 years, 8.00 ± 1.41 years, and 12.87 ± 1.42 years in the three groups, respectively. Mean HVID was 10.45 mm, 10.54 mm, and 10.73 mm, respectively. Mean VVID was 9.18 mm, 9.32 mm, and 9.57 mm, respectively. Similarly, mean PFH was 8.15 mm, 8.30 mm, and 8.52 mm, respectively. There was a significant difference in HVID, VVID, and PFH among the three age groups (P ≤ 0.001), as well as among male and female children in the 6-10 years age group (P ≤ 0.05) but not in the other groups. Intraclass correlation coefficient values (0.78-0.95) show good agreement among the three optometrists for all parameters. The normal range of HVID, VVID, and PFH presented in the current study can help practitioners in the diagnosis of corneal disorders, serve as a basis for the design of contact lenses, and enable accurate intraocular lens power calculations for South Indian children.