Pediatric emmetropes, myopes have different ocular growth curves

Ocular growth patterns in children are relatively similar, but differences in growth lie mainly between emmetropes and myopes, according to a study.

Lisa A. Jones and colleagues at Ohio State University split subjects into four groups: 194 children with persistent emmetropia between –0.25 D and +1 D, 247 children who had at least –0.75 D in both meridians on at least one visit, 43 who had persistent hyperopia of at least +1 D in both meridians on all visits and 253 children who had emmetropizing hyperopia of at least +1 D in both meridians on at least the first visit but not all visits. Subjects were seen at least three times between the ages of 6 and 14 years.

At baseline, eyes of myopes and persistent emmetropes differed in vitreous chamber depth, anterior chamber depth, axial length and corneal power. Growth curves showed differences in the same ocular components. Persistent hyperopes were significantly different from persistent emmetropes in most components at baseline, but growth curve shapes were not significantly different.

The study is published in the July issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.