rss
Br J Ophthalmol 2004;88:5-7 doi:10.1136/bjo.88.1.5
  • Clinical science
    • Scientific reports

Intraocular pressure associations with refractive error and axial length in children

  1. A J Lee1,
  2. S-M Saw1,
  3. G Gazzard2,3,4,
  4. A Cheng3,
  5. D T H Tan2,3
  1. 1Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore, 16 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Republic of Singapore
  2. 2Singapore National Eye Centre, (SNEC), 11 Third Hospital Avenue, Singapore 168751, Republic of Singapore
  3. 3Singapore Eye Research Institute, (SERI) 5th Level, SNEC, 11 Third Hospital Avenue, Singapore 168751, Republic of Singapore
  4. 4Institute of Ophthalmology, 11–43 Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
  1. Correspondence to: Dr Seang-Mei Saw Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore, 16 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Republic of Singapore; cofsawsmnus.edu.sg
  • Accepted 2 July 2003

Abstract

Aim: To assess whether intraocular pressure (IOP) is associated with refractive error or axial length in children.

Methods: Of subjects from the Singapore Cohort Study of the Risk Factors for Myopia (SCORM), 636 Chinese children aged 9–11 years from two elementary schools underwent non-contact tonometry, cycloplegic autorefraction, and A-scan biometry during 2001. For analyses, refractive error was categorised into four groups; hypermetropia (spherical equivalent refraction (SE) ≥+1.0D), emmetropia (−0.5D<SE<+1.0D), low myopia (−3.0D<SE≤−0.5D) and high myopia (SE≤−3.0D).

Results: Of the 636 children examined, 50.6% were male. The mean IOP was 16.6 (SD 2.7) mm Hg. There were no significant IOP differences between low (mean IOP = 16.4 (2.8) mm Hg) or high myopes (16.7 (2.5) mm Hg) and emmetropes (16.7 (2.9) mm Hg), p = 0.57. IOP was not correlated with spherical equivalent refraction (Spearman correlation, r = 0.009) or axial length (r = 0.030). In regression analyses adjusting for diastolic blood pressure, neither spherical equivalent (regression coefficient = 0.014) nor axial length (regression coefficient = 0.027) were significantly associated with IOP.

Conclusion: These findings do not support an association between IOP and refractive error or axial length in children. This questions postulated roles of IOP in the pathogenesis of myopia.

Footnotes

  • Grant support: National Medical Research Council (NMRC), NMRC/0695/2002, Singapore.

  • Commercial relationships: None.

This Article

  1. Abstract
  2. Full text
  3. PDF

Responses

  1. Submit a response
  2. No responses published

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.