Body Stature Growth Trajectories during Childhood and the Development of Myopia

Abstract

Purpose-Stature at a particular age can be considered the cumulative result of growth during a number of preceding growth trajectory periods. We investigated whether height and weight growth trajectories from birth to age 10 years were related to refractive error at ages 11 and 15 years, and eye size at age 15 years. Design-Prospective analysis in a birth cohort.Participants-Children participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) United Kingdom birth cohort (minimum N=2,676).Methods-Growth trajectories between birth and 10 years were modeled from a series of height and weight measurements (N=6,815). Refractive error was assessed by non-cycloplegic autorefraction at ages 11 and 15 years (minimum N=4,737). Axial length and radius of corneal curvature were measured with an IOLmaster at age 15 years (minimum N=2,676). Growth trajectories, and an allelic score for 180 genetic variants associated with adult height, were tested for association with refractive error and eye size.Main outcome measures-Non-cycloplegic autorefraction at ages 11 and 15 years, and axial length and corneal curvature at age 15 years.Results-Height growth trajectory during the linear phase between 2.5-10 years was negatively associated with refractive error at 11 and 15 years (P<0.001), but explained <0.5% of inter-subject variation. Height and weight growth trajectories, especially shortly after birth, were positively associated with axial length and corneal curvature (P<0.001), predicting 1-5% of trait variation. Height growth after 2.5 years was not associated with corneal curvature, whilst the association with axial length continued up to 10 years. The height allelic score was associated with corneal curvature (P=0.03) but not with refractive error or axial length.Address for correspondence and requests for reprints: Dr Kate Northstone, Department of Social Medicine, Oakfield House, Oakfield Grove, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK, Tel: +44 (0) Conclusions-Up to the age of 10 years, shared growth mechanisms contribute to scaling of eye and body size but minimally to the development of myopia.

Axial Length and Associated Factors in Children: The Shandong Children Eye Study

“…The association between longer AL and a higher level of education of the mother agrees with previous investigations on children or teenagers and on adults in which axial myopia was correlated significantly with a higher educational level [8]. The lack of an association between AL and birth length as well as birth weight as found in our study is consistent with the results of previous investigations such as the study by Northstone et al [26]. It included the children participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) UK birth cohort.…”

Associations of reading posture, gaze angle and reading distance with myopia and myopic progression

“…Some studies have reported a relationship between height and the onset and progression of myopia, suggesting the possibility of a causal link between these factors, and hence a genetic link between body height and longer axial length (Gardiner 1954;Yip et al 2012). The results of our study parallel, for example, those of Northstone et al (2013), who found no relationship between height and weight growth trajectories from birth to age 10 years and refractive error or eye size at ages 11 and 15 years. The results of our study parallel, for example, those of Northstone et al (2013), who found no relationship between height and weight growth trajectories from birth to age 10 years and refractive error or eye size at ages 11 and 15 years.…”

Coordinated Genetic Scaling of the Human Eye: Shared Determination of Axial Eye Length and Corneal Curvature

“…Notably, we recently found that an allelic score for the set of 180 genetic variants so far identified as associated with adult height showed at most a weak association with corneal curvature, axial length, and refractive error in ALSPAC subjects. 22 Sexual dimorphism was much greater for height than for ocular component dimensions, perhaps representing a difference in selective pressure. However, there were marked differences between the two study cohorts.…”

“…20 Trait values for corneal curvature, axial length, corneal astigmatism, and refractive error were averaged between fellow eyes in order to maximize statistical power. 21 Subjects were classified as myopic if their noncycloplegic autorefraction spherical equivalent averaged between the two eyes was À1.00 diopter (D) and as hyperopic if it was >1.00 D. A validation study 20,22 suggested that these criteria had a sensitivity of 0.90 (0.94) and a specificity of 0.94 (0.98) for detecting myopia (hyperopia) defined as a subjective refractive error <À0.75 D (>þ1.50). DNA samples 19 were genotyped using Illumina HumanHap 550 bead arrays (Illumina, Inc., San Diego, CA) and subjected to quality control filters as previously described.…”