The Correlation of Cycloplegic Refraction with Corneal Radius of Curvature-Adjusted Axial Length in Chinese Preschoolers

Abstract

\n Background: In order to master the refractive status and detect severe refractive errors quickly and effectively, this study aimed to investigate the association of axial length after adjusting for corneal radius of curvature with refraction in a group of Chinese preschoolers.\nMethods: Retrospective review of 716 Chinese children aged from 3 to 6 years, who underwent cycloplegic optometry with 1% atropine eye gel in the ophthalmology department of Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, National Children’s Medical Center in Shanghai. Meanwhile axial length, corneal radius of curvature and cycloplegic autorefraction were obtained and axial length/corneal radius of curvature (AL/CR) ratio was calculated. The correlations of spherical equivalent refraction (SER) with axial length, corneal radius of curvature, AL/CR ratio and corneal radius of curvature-adjusted axial length were analyzed.\nResults: Only data from the right eye were included in this analysis. Among 716 eyes of 716 Chinese preschoolers, the mean (±SD) SER was 2.28±2.41 diopters (D), of which hyperopia, emmetropia, myopia were 84.64%, 8.54%, 6.84%, respectively. The mean(±SD) axial length, corneal radius of curvature and AL/CR ratio were 21.89±1.01mm, 7.76±0.27 mm, and 2.82±0.13, respectively. The SER was highly negative correlated with both axial length (coefficient –0.722) and AL/CR ratio (coefficient-0.814), and weakly correlated with corneal radius of curvature (coefficient 0.090) and gender(coefficient 0.093). Axial length was weakly correlated with age and gender(coefficient 0.232 and 0.268, respectively), but moderately correlated with corneal radius of curvature (coefficient 0.424). After adjusting for corneal radius of curvature, the correlation coefficient between SER and axial length significantly increased to-0.918.\nConclusion: In the samples of 716 3-to 6-year-old Chinese children, axial length was moderately correlated with corneal radius of curvature. After adjusting for corneal radius of curvature, refraction was closely correlated with axial length than axial length alone and AL/CR ratio. Therefore, corneal radius of curvature-adjusted axial length might be a useful tool for pediatric ophthalmologists to detect refractive errors.\nKey Words: spherical equivalent refraction; corneal radius of curvature; adjusted; axial length; preschoolers.