Abstract
Purpose :
To assess the distribution of axial length and its determinants in a very old population.
Methods :
The population-based Ural Very Old Study included 1526 (81.1%) participants out of 1882 eligible individuals aged 85+ years. The participants underwent a detailed ophthalmological and medical examination including sonographic axial length measurement.
Results :
Biometric data were available for 717 (47.0%) individuals with a mean age of 88.0±2.6 years (range:85-98 years; 25%). Mean axial length was 23.1±1.1 mm (range:19.37-28.89mm) and 23.1±1.1 mm (range:19.507-28.84mm) in the right eyes and left eyes, respectively. Prevalences of moderate myopia (axial length:24.5-<26.5mm) and high myopia (axial length ≥26.5mm) were 47/717 (6.6%;95%CI:4.7,8.4) and 10/717 (1.4%;95%CI:0.5,2.3), respectively. Longer axial length was associated (correlation coefficient r:0.37) with
taller body height (P<0.001;standardized regression coefficient beta:0.26; non-standardized regression coefficient B: 0.03; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.02, 0.04), higher level of education (P<0.001;beta:0.12;B: 0.06;95%CI:0.02,0.11), and thinner peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (P=0.001;beta:-0.15;B:-0.004;9%%CI:-0.006,-0.002), in addition to more myopic spherical refractive error (P=0.001;beta:-0.15;B:-0.08;95%CI:-0.13,-0.03). In that model, axial length was not significantly associated with age (P=0.52), gender (P=0.17) and intraocular pressure (P=0.21).
Conclusions :
Mean axial length (23.1±1.1 mm versus 23.30±1.10 mm) and prevalence of moderate axial myopia (6.6% (95%CI:4.7,8.4) versus 8.7% (95%CI:9.0,10.5)) and high axial myopia (1.4% (95%CI:0.5,2.3) versus 1.4% (95%CI:1.1,1.7)) in this old study population were comparable with values from the younger population of the Ufa Eye and Medical Study conducted in the same study regions. As in previous studies, higher axial length was correlated with higher level of education
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.