Abstract
Purpose :
To report ocular determinants of RE in AAs ≥ 40 years of age in Inglewood, California, and compare to those reported for Latinos in the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study and Chinese Americans in the Chinese American Eye Study
Methods :
The African American Eye Disease Study, a population-based, cross-sectional study, was conducted from 2014-2018 in Inglewood, California. Participants underwent an eye examination including measurements of axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), vitreous chamber depth (VCD), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), corneal power (CP), noncycloplegic subjective refraction, and lens nuclear opalescence (NOP). Data from the right phakic eye were analyzed. Multiple regression models identified key ocular structural determinants of RE.
Results :
Among the 5761 participants eligible for analysis (2167 men and 3594 women; mean age ± standard deviation (SD), 59.6±10.6 years), mean (±SD) RE was -0.17 (±2.95) diopters (D), with no gender-related difference, p=0.086. Compared with men, women had shorter AL (23.5 ±1.13 vs 23.96 ±1.08 mm, p<0.001), shorter VCD (15.39±1.12 vs. 15.7±1.06, p<0.001), shallower ACD (3.20±0.33 vs 3.32±0.35 p<.001), thinner LT (4.37±0.40 vs.4.39±0.42, p=0.03), more NOP (29.0% vs 23.8%, p=0.015), and steeper CP (43.95±1.75 vs 43.24±1.8, p<0.001), after adjusting for age and height. No gender differences were noted in CCT. Compared with younger AAs, older AAs had more hyperopic RE, shallower ACD, thicker LT, more NOP, and less steep CP (Ps<.001) in both genders, after adjustment for height. AL was the strongest determinant of RE (squared semi-partial correlation coefficient, SPCC2=0.40), folllowed by CP (SPCC2 = 0.18). When individual components of AL were evaluated, VCD had the greatest contribution effect (SPCC2 = 0.38). These data suggest that AAs have similar AL but steeper CP compared to Chinese Americans, and have a greater contribution of AL to RE than do Latinos, but less than Chinese Americans, and a greater contribution of CP than both Latinos and Chinese Americans. NOP contributes a minimally in AAs compared to Latinos.
Conclusions :
Different structural ocular determinants contribute to RE in different racial/ethnic groups. These differences need to be considered when assessing which structures may need to be modified in reducing the burden of myopia in different racial/ethnic groups.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.