Ocular biometric parameters in South-Indian children with myopia - A hospital-based retrospective descriptive analysis.

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to profile the ocular biometric parameters in a large group of children of South-Indian ethnicity who visited our outpatient children's department and were diagnosed with myopia.

Methods: Children <15 years old diagnosed with myopia (Jan 2022-Oct 2023) and who had ocular biometry readings recorded were included. Their demographics, axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), spherical equivalent (SE), corneal radius of curvature (CR), and AL/CR ratio were analyzed.

Results: The study included 3728 myopic children; the mean age was 11.85 (4-15) years, and 52.8% were girls. Mean SE was -3.98 D. The mean (SD) AL, ACD, CR, and AL/CR ratio were 24.64 (1.32), 3.73 (0.40), 7.61 (0.27), and 3.24 (0.16), respectively. Female gender was associated with shorter AL, ACD, CR, and AL/CR ratios ( P < 0.001) across all age groups. There was a significant increase in ACD with age in both sexes ( P < 0.001). A 1-unit (mm) increase in AL was associated with an SE increase of -1.65 D (CL: -1.70 to -1.60). AL/CR ratio could explain 71% of the total variance in SE ( P < 0.001). SE showed a mild correlation with age (rho = 0.14, P < 0.001) and ACD (rho = -0.03, P = 0.041) and a stronger correlation with AL (rho = -0.68, P < 0.001) and AL/CR (rho = -0.83, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: In this hospital-based study, AL and AL/CR ratios strongly correlate with SE, and the AL/CR better explains the total variance in SE than AL alone in children with myopia.