Ocular higher-order aberrations and axial eye growth in young Hong Kong children

Abstract

Abstract This retrospective longitudinal analysis aimed to investigate the association between ocular higher-order aberrations (HOAs) and axial eye growth in Hong Kong children. Measures of axial length and ocular HOAs under cycloplegia were obtained annually over a two-year period from 137 subjects aged 8.8 ± 1.4 years with mean spherical equivalent refraction of −2.04 ± 2.38 D. A significant negative association was observed between the RMS of total HOAs and axial eye growth (P = 0.03), after adjusting for other significant predictors of axial length including age, sex and refractive error. Similar negative associations with axial elongation were found for the RMS of spherical aberrations ($${{\rm{Z}}}_{4}^{0}$$ Z40 and $${{\rm{Z}}}_{6}^{0}$$ Z60 combined) (P = 0.037). Another linear mixed model also showed that greater levels of vertical trefoil $$({{\rm{Z}}}_{3}^{-3})$$ (Z3−3) , primary spherical aberration $$({{\rm{Z}}}_{4}^{0})$$ (Z40) and negative oblique trefoil $$({{\rm{Z}}}_{3}^{3})$$ (Z33) were associated with slower axial elongation and longer axial length (all P < 0.05). These findings support the potential role of HOAs, image quality and a vision-dependent mechanism in childhood eye growth.