Correlation of Myopia with Ocular Biometric Rerfractive Parameters and Choroid Thickness in Children and Adolescents

Objective: To investigate the correlation of myopia severity with axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), intraocular pressure (IOP), corneal curvature (CC), and choroid thickness (CT) in children and adolescents. Methods: In this case series study, we selected myopic children and adolescents who were diagnosed in Shanxi Eye Hospital from March to December 2016. All of the children and adolescents were subjected to cycloplegic refraction, and CCT, IOP, AL, CC, and CT measurements. They were divided into three myopia groups, mild, moderate, and high, based on the spherical equivalent (SE). We then analyzed the correlation of the degree of myopia with CCT, IOP, AL, CC, and CT. Differences between groups were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. Relationships between the relevant factors were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results: Eighty myopic children and adolescents (158 eyes), 7.9±2.4 years old, were included in this study. The SEs were -2.28±0.85 diopters (D), -4.43±0.82 D, and -8.51±1.50 D in the mild, moderate, and high myopia groups respectively. The ALs were 24.0±0.7 mm, 25.0±0.6 mm, and 26.6±1.5 mm in the respective myopia groups (F=55.03, P<0.001). The CTs were 280±82 μm, 207±63 μm, and 184±72 μm in the respective myopia groups (F=12.64, P<0.001). There were no significant differences for CCT, IOP, or CC among the different groups. CT was significantly correlated to myopia (r =-0.590, P<0.001), AL (r =-0.567, P<0.001), and CCT (r =-0.300, P=0.007). Conclusions: There is a positive correlation between the progression of myopia and the increase in AL. There is a negative correlation between myopia and the foveal CT. Finally, the relationship between myopia and CCT, IOP, and CC is not clear. Key words: myopia; axial length; intraocular pressure; corneal thickness; choroid thickness