Abstract
Purpose :
To investigate the factors associated with corneal biomechanics, and their relationships with myopia in children and their parents.
Methods :
Maximum deformation amplitude (DA) of the cornea was measured by a high-speed Scheimpflug-camera (Corvis® ST, OCULUS Optikgeräte GmbH). All subjects underwent standardized ocular examination including auto-refraction, measurement of corneal curvature, central corneal thickness (CCT), and axial length. Linear regression and structure equation model (SEM) were used to identify the determinants of DA and evaluate the association of DA with myopia via the determinants respectively.
Results :
The means age of children and parents were 7.62 ± 0.96 years and 41.06 ± 5.97 years respectively. DA was significantly different between children and parents (1.02 ± 0.10 vs. 1.10 ± 0.10, P < 0.001). DA was significantly associated with axial length (children: ß = 0.013; adults: ß = 0.014), corneal curvature (children: ß = 0.0096; adults: ß = 0.0078), age (children: ß = 0.011; adults: ß = 0.0015) and intraocular pressure (IOP) (children: ß = -0.029; adults: ß = -0.032) in both children and parents. The linear coefficient of age for DA in parents was significantly larger than in children (P-value<0.001), indicating the DA change with age in children is faster than in adults. In the SEM analysis, DA was significantly associated with spherical equivalent (P<0.001 resulted from its correlation with axial length and corneal curvature.
Conclusions :
Cornea is more deformable in children than in adults. Longer axial length, steeper corneal curvature, older age and smaller IOP correspond to more corneal deformation. In children, DA may increase faster than in adults. The association between DA and SE was mainly due to the association of DA with axial length, and with corneal curvature.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.