Abstract
Purpose :
Stereoacuity (stereo) improves monotonically with age during childhood. We investigated vision characteristics that may be associated with stereoacuity in non-strabismic children 3 to 9 years old with uncorrected refractive error.
Methods :
Monocular visual acuity (VA, ATS4 Near Acuity Test; logMAR) and stereo (Randot Preschool Stereoacuity Test; arc sec) were assessed. Accommodative accuracy and cycloplegic refraction were measured using the Grand Seiko autorefractor. Accommodative responses were obtained while participants monocularly viewed 20/50 or 20/250 single letters (order counterbalanced) at 33 cm; accuracy was the difference between stimulus and response. Spherical equivalent (SE) measures of accommodation for both letter sizes were averaged for each eye. All sphero-cylindrical measures of cycloplegic autorefraction were converted to Power Vector notation (SE, J0, J45). Cycloplegic SE anisometropia (aniso) was calculated. For analyses, near VA, accommodative accuracy, and cycloplegic refraction from the eye with better near VA (or right eye if equal) were used. Stereo was log transformed for analyses. Associations between log stereo and near VA, interocular difference in near VA (IOD), cycloplegic SE, J0, J45, and SE aniso, and accommodative accuracy were explored using univariate analysis. Variables with significant associations (p<0.10) were included in a multivariate regression analysis. We report the log transformed beta-coefficients (β) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the significant (P<0.05) variables from the multivariate analysis.
Results :
Poorer log stereo was associated with worse near VA (β = 1.26, 95%CI: 1.02 to 1.50, P<0.001), greater IOD (β = 1.01, 95%CI: 0.58 to 1.42, P<0.001), greater SE aniso (β = 0.16, 95%CI: 0.08 to 0.25, P<0.001), greater J0 (β = 0.18, 95%CI: 0.09 to 0.28, P<0.001); and larger accommodative lag (β =0.06, 95%CI: 0.03 to 0.09, P=0.001).
Conclusions :
Despite stereo improving with age, age itself was not significant after adjustment for other vision characteristics in young children. Of the variables evaluated, worse near VA and greater IOD in near VA had the strongest associations with worse stereo in young children with uncorrected refractive error. Worse stereo was also associated with higher magnitudes of uncorrected astigmatism, anisometropia, and accommodative lag, but to a lesser extent.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.