The Axial Length of the Eyeball and Bioelectrical Activity of Masticatory and Neck Muscles: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Objective. The present study aimed to evaluate the correlation of eye length and bioelectric activity of temporalis, masseter, digastric, and sternocleidomastoid muscles in women with myopia compared to healthy women. Methods. Based on the exclusion and inclusion criteria, 42 women aged 24 years (±2 years) were eligible for the study. Two equally sized groups with myopic (n = 21) and emmetropic healthy subjects (n = 21) were formed. An electromyographic study of the examined muscles was performed in four conditions: at rest, during maximal voluntary clenching in the intercuspal position, during maximal voluntary clenching on dental cotton rollers, and during maximal mouth opening using BioEMG III (BioResearch Associates, Inc. Milwaukee, WI, USA). The IOL Master 500 (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Germany) was used to examine the eyeball length. Statistical analysis showed significant positive correlations during mouth opening in both groups with open and closed eyes. Results. A greater number of correlations between the analyzed variables was observed in emmetropic women. In almost all cases, the longer axial eye length was associated with an increase in the bioelectrical activity of the analyzed muscles. Significant correlations were most often observed within the masseter and digastric muscles during the maximum mouth opening and at rest. Conclusion. There is a relationship between the bioelectrical activity of the masticatory muscles and the axial length of the eyeball on the same side.