Associations between Ocular Biometry, Refractive Error, and Body Characteristics

Abstract

Myopia is a refractive error widely spread throughout the world, usually related to excessive axial length (AL) of the eye. This elongation could have severe consequences, even leading to blindness. However, AL varies among subjects, and it may be correlated with other anthropometric parameters. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between AL, body height, refractive error, and sex. A total of 72 eyes of 36 myopic participants with a mean age of 11.1 ± 1.42 years (ranging from 8 to 14 years) were included in the study. Participants underwent objective refraction by NVision-K5001, AL measurement by Topcon MYAH biometer, and body height measurement. Significant correlations were observed between AL, body height, and spherical equivalent (SE) (Spearman’s correlation, all p ≤ 0.016). When participants were grouped by AL, significant differences were observed for body height and SE, and when grouped by height percentile, significant differences were observed for AL and SE (Kruskal–Wallis test, all p ≤ 0.006). There was a significant difference in SE, AL, and body height between genders (Mann–Whitney U test, all p ≤ 0.038). AL relates to the refractive state of the eye and is also influenced by individual anatomical characteristics.

Keywords

• myopia
• axial length
• body height