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A peaked (leptokurtic) distribution of spherical equivalent refraction was present in this predominantly hyperopic 6-year-old population. The results also showed that ocular biometric measures were normally distributed, with statistically significant gender differences found in measurements.

The overall myopia prevalence in this sample was lower than in recent similar-aged European Caucasian population samples. East Asian children in our sample had both a higher prevalence of myopia and longer mean axial length.

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To describe the prevalence of amblyopia and associated factors in a representative sample of 6-yearold Australian children. Methods: Logarithm of minimum angle of resolution visual acuity (VA) was measured in both eyes before and after pinhole correction, correcting cylindrical refractive components greater than 0.50 diopter (D), and with spectacles (if worn) in a population-based sample of 1741 schoolchildren. Retinal pathological abnormalities were excluded based on photographs. Amblyopia was defined using various best-available corrected VA measures in the absence of significant organic pathological abnormalities. Results: Using the criteria of corrected VA less than 20/40 and at least a 2-line difference between eyes, amblyopia was diagnosed in 13 children (0.7%). The inclusion of children with amblyopia who had been successfully treated (n = 19) increased the amblyopia prevalence to 1.8%. Strabismus or strabismus surgery history was present in 37.5% of the children with amblyopia, anisometropia in 34.4%, both conditions in 18.8%, and isoametropia in 6.3%. Mean corrected VA in amblyopic eyes was 37.7 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution letters (Snellen VA equivalent Ͻ20/40), ranging from 0 to 48 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution letters (Snellen VA equivalent Ͻ20/200-20/25). Most amblyopic eyes (58.7%) were significantly hyperopic (spherical equivalent Նϩ3.00 D); 8.7% were myopic. Conclusions: A relatively low prevalence of amblyopia in a sample of 6-year-old children is documented. The majority of these children had already been diagnosed and treated for this condition.

In this sample, parental myopia was associated with more myopic SER and longer AL, with significant ethnic interactions.

Background-Cardiovascular disease may have its origins in utero, but the influence of in utero growth on microvascular structure in children is unknown. We hypothesized that poor in utero growth is associated with narrower arteriolar caliber, which may help explain the established association of low birth weight with hypertension and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Methods and Results-We examined the relation of birth weight and other markers of in utero growth to microvascular caliber in the retina in a population-based study of 1369 6-year-old children in Sydney, Australia (Sydney Childhood Eye Study). Birth weight, birth length, and head circumference were obtained from parental records. Retinal arteriolar and venular calibers were measured from digitized retinal photographs by a validated computer-assisted method. Lower birth weight, shorter birth length, and smaller head circumference were associated with narrower retinal arteriolar caliber. Each kilogram decrease in birth weight was associated with a 2.3-m (95% CI 0.6 to 3.9, Pϭ0.01) narrower retinal arteriolar caliber after controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, height, body mass index, axial length, mean arterial blood pressure, and prematurity. Similar associations were observed between shorter birth length and smaller head circumference with narrower retinal arteriolar caliber. Conclusions-Children who had lower birth weight, shorter birth length, and smaller head circumference had narrower retinal arteriolar calibers. These data support the concept that poor in utero growth may have an adverse influence on microvascular structure. (Circulation. 2008;118:518-524.)

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