Abstract
Purpose:
Myopia is becoming more prevalent, with epidemiological studies suggesting that younger cohorts show more myopia. We explored axial length as a function of age in patients undergoing cataract surgery in a single large London teaching hospital.
Methods:
Details of all cataract operations performed over 10 years to October 2014 were obtained from the King’s College Hospital Medisoft electronic patient record. Correlation between age and axial length was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rho). All patients aged 18 years and over were included. Eyes with a history of previous retinal detachment surgery were excluded.
Results:
Over the study period, 20,937 cataract extractions meeting the inclusion criteria were performed (mean age±SD, 72.3±12.0 years). Axial length decreased with increasing age (rho=-0.183, p<0.0001). Patients aged 70 years and over had shorter axial length (mean±SD, 23.38±1.21mm) than those under 70 years (23.80±1.57mm) (p<0.0001).
Conclusions:
Younger patients presenting for cataract surgery show greater axial length than older patients. In light of evidence of increasing population myopia and given our results showing myopic patients present for surgery earlier, this will place an increasing burden on cataract surgical services.