Abstract
Purpose :
Moderate to high hyperopia is associated with visual deficits. Currently, no study has reported its longitudinal refraction change in a large sample of schoolchildren. This study investigated the longitudinal changes in spherical equivalent (SE) refractive error among schoolchildren with moderate to high hyperopia.
Methods :
Medical records of patients seeking refractions at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center between 2009 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Eligible criteria included: hyperopia >+2.00D at the initial age of 6 to 8 years, at least 3 visits, and at least a 2-year follow-up. Individual refraction development pattern was evaluated based on the mean rate of change in SE. Mixed-effect regression analysis was used to explore factors associated with the rate of change.
Results :
A total of 1769 cases were identified. Median initial age was 6.4 (interquartile range [IQR], 5.9 to 7.1) years and age at the final visit was 10.1 (IQR, 8.9 to 11.5) years. Initial SE was +3.13 (IQR, +2.38 to +5.25) D. On average, participants experienced a myopic shift of -0.35±0.27D/year. Considerable number of eyes (721 [40.8%]) demonstrated a longitudinal change of less than ±0.25D/year, about 1/3 (611/1769) of eyes demonstrated a change of <-0.25 ~ -0.50D/year, and very few eyes (46 [2.6%]) demonstrated a rapid change of <-1.00D/year. Girls (beta=-0.04, P<0.001) and children with greater initial hyperopia (beta=-0.02, P<0.001) experienced significantly faster reduction in refraction.
Conclusions :
Variation exists in the refraction development of schoolchildren with moderate to high hyperopia. Considerable percentage of eyes demonstrates longitudinally stable refraction.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.