Association of refraction and ocular biometry in highly myopic eyes

Clinical relevance: Ocular biometry is key to understanding the determinants of ocular development and pathology changes, especially for the thriving myopic population in Asia. Investigating biometric data in highly myopic eyes within a wide age spectrum is therefore of high importance. Background: To report the magnitude of change in spherical equivalent for each unit of change in the ocular biometry parameters in a highly myopic population in China. Methods: Highly myopic patients aged 7 to 70 years were recruited from the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, China. Each patient had a cycloplegic refraction and a measurement of ocular biometry. Results: Data from 823 right eyes were available for analysis, with a mean age of 22.7 years and a median spherical equivalent of −8.88 D. Axial length and lens thickness increased with age, while anterior chamber depth (ACD) decreased in older subjects. There was a significant trend of increasing axial length, lens thickness, vitreous chamber depth (VCD) and decreasing ACD and calculated lens power over spherical equivalent quartiles (all p < 0.001). The univariate linear regression models showed that 1-D change in refraction equalled to a 0.33- to 0.34-mm increase of axial length, and a 0.32 to 0.33-mm increase of VCD in highly myopic eyes. Among the three components of axial length, lens thickness was associated with myopia shift in the groups of 7-18 years and 19-39 years (both p < 0.001), and VCD was significant in all groups (all p < 0.001), while ACD was not significant in any age group. Conclusion: The associations between refraction and axial length were consistent in children, young adults and the elderly with high myopia. Lens thickening with a higher degree of myopia appeared at a very early age, and vitreous chamber depth remained to be a prominent factor of refraction change in highly myopic eyes throughout seven to 70 years of age.