Relationships between ocular dimensions and adult stature among participants in the Reykjavik Eye Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT.Purpose: To examine the relationships between adult stature, age and ocular dimensions in a large homogenous, white population. Methods: We used the national population census for Reykjavik to select a random sample of adults aged 50 years or older. A total of 846 persons were examined. Scheimpflug images were used to measure anterior chamber depth. Ultrasound was used to measure axial length, lens thickness and vitreous chamber depth. An autorefracto-keratometer was used to measure autorefractive and keratometric values, including the radius of the corneal curvature. Stereo fundus photographs were taken of the optic disc and measurements of the disc diameters were made using computer software. Results: Height correlated positively with axial length in the multivariate model (B = 0.020, 95% CI 0.006-0.034, p < 0.01). Both age and height showed significant correlations with vitreous chamber depth, where the correlation with age was negative (B = -0.016, 95% CI -0.006 to -0.025, p < 0.005) and the correlation with height was positive (B = 0.019, 95% CI 0.005-0.034, p < 0.01). Height also showed a positive correlation with the radius of the corneal curvature (B = 0.008, 95% CI 0.004-0.011, p < 0.001). Anterior chamber depth had a negative correlation with age (B = -0.013, 95% CI -0.010 to -0.016, p < 0.001), whereas lens thickness had a significant positive correlation with age (B = 0.019, 95% CI 0.016-0.023, p < 0.001). We found a significant negative correlation between axial length and refraction/spherical equivalent (r = -0.595, p < 0.0001). Discussion: Our results indicate that there is a significant relationship between height and several ocular dimensions in this adult population and confirms a negative correlation between axial length and refraction.

Prevalence and risk factors for refractive errors and ocular biometry parameters in an elderly Asian population: the Singapore Longitudinal Aging Study (SLAS)

“…In our study, an increase in height was significantly associated with longer AL. Similar findings were described in the Tanjong Pagar Survey, 15 the Reykjavik Eye Study, 24 and in the school children in both Singapore 25 and Australia. 26 However, in multivariate analysis, height was not a risk factor for myopia.…”

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

“…The relationship between longer AL and taller body height as found in our study in children has also been reported in population-based studies on adults, such as the Singaporean Tanjong Pagar Survey, the Icelandic Reykjavik Eye Study, the Burmese Meiktila Eye Study, the Beijing Eye Study and the Central India Eye and Medical Study [15,16,17,18,19]. It may reflect a general association between body height and size of the ocular globe.…”

Anterior chamber depth correlated with anthropomorphic measurements: the Beijing Eye Study

“…7 It is also in agreement with the recent Meiktila Eye Study from Myanmar and the Reykjavik Eye Study from Iceland in both of which height was associated with the ocular dimensions. 8,9 Height, in addition to higher age and female gender, may therefore be taken as one of the parameters for screening of subjects being at risk for angle-closure glaucoma. It has to be taken into account, however, that only this study identified an associated factor (short height) for a risk factor of angle-closure glaucoma.…”