Background: We conducted a study to compare variables in children who were initially emmetropic and subsequently became myopic to those in children who remained emmetropic. This paper investigates intraocular pressure (IOP) in the two groups. Some theories of myopia development suggest a role for elevated IOP in axial elongation of the eye, and some studies have found higher IOPs in myopes than in nonmyopes.
Methods: A cohort of initially emmetropic children were given eye and vision examinations at 6-month intervals over a 3-year period. IOPs were obtained by Goldmann tonometry.
Results: The mean IOP for the became-myopic group was 13.9 mm Hg (N = 24; SD = 2.5). The mean IOP for the remained-emmetropic group was 14.7 mm Hg (N = 53; SD = 3.1). The difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Children who became myopic did not show a greater IOP at an examination 6 months or less before the onset of myopia than children who remained emmetropic.