Change in Ocular Dimensions with Age in Patients with Emmetropia

Chan Su Kim; Su Young Kim; Young Hoon Park; Young Chun Lee

doi:10.3341/jkos.2008.49.3.425

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Kim, Kim, Park, and Lee: Change in Ocular Dimensions with Age in Patients with Emmetropia

Original Article

J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2008;49(3):425-432.

Published online: 7 September 2008

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2008.49.3.425

Change in Ocular Dimensions with Age in Patients with Emmetropia

Chan Su Kim, Su Young Kim, M.D., Young Hoon Park, M.D., Young Chun Lee, M.D.

Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

Address reprint requests to Young Chun Lee, M.D. Department of Ophthalmology, Uijongbu St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea #65-1 Geumo-dong, Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do 480-717, Korea Tel: 82-31-820-3116, Fax: 82-31-847-3418, E-mail: leeyc@cmc.cuk.ac.kr

Received 2 May 2007 Accepted 17 September 2007

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

We evaluated changes in ocular dimensions according to age in patients with emmetropia.

Methods

We examined the refraction, corneal curvature, and biometry in 150 subjects from 5 to 75 years old with spherical equivalent refractions under ±0.75 diopter (D). Ocular dimensions were measured by A-scan ultrasonography and keratometry. We analysed the distribution and change of ocular dimensions according to age (1: 0∼19-year-old group, 2: 20∼39-year-old group, 3: 40∼59-year-old group, 4: 60∼79-year-old group).

Results

The values for corneal radius (CR), vitreous chamber depth (VCD) and axial length (AL) were highest in group 2. Lens thickness (LT) increased with increasing age, whereas anterior chamber depth (ACD) decreased with increasing age (P<0.05). CR, VCD, AL (P<0.05) and ACD (P=0.10) seem to have higher values in males, while LT seems to have a higher value in females (P=0.06).

Conclusions

Axial length increases with increasing age in subjects aged 0 to 39 years in emmetropia. In subjects aged 40 years or older, axial length becomes smaller with age. In each age group compensational changes to achieve emmetropia according to AL change are shown in ocular dimensions like CR, VCD, ACD, LT.

Keywords: Aging, Axial length, Corneal radius, Emmetropia, Ocular dimensions

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Figure 1.

Change in ocular dimensions by age group.

Table 1.

Distribution of ocular dimensions in each age group

G^*	Age M^†(Range)	N	CR	ACD	LT	ACD+LT	VCD	AL	CP	LP	TP
G^*	Age M^†(Range)	N	Mean±SD (mm)						A-constant: 118.00 Mean±SD (D^‡)
All
G 1	9.5 (5–19)	30	7.82±0.22	3.55±0.29	3.56±0.20	7.11±0.25	16.29±0.79	23.40±0.86	43.20±1.24	20.63±1.5	60.18±1.92
G 2	23.0 (20–36)	36	7.98±0.17	3.47±0.24	3.81±0.24	7.28±0.25	16.52±0.38	23.81±0.55	42.32±1.27	20.40±1.0	59.18±1.12
G 3	46.0 (40–59)	48	7.68±0.18	3.20±0.45	4.41±0.52	7.62±0.37	15.76±0.67	23.38±0.64	43.92±1.12	20.03±0.9	60.36±1.48
G 4	65.5 (60–75)	36	7.58±0.19	3.17±0.30	4.55±0.27	7.72±0.22	15.58±0.52	23.30±0.45	44.56±1.19	19.64±0.8	60.61±1.08
total	43.0 (5–75)	150	7.75	3.34	4.09	7.43	16.00	23.42	43.50	20.15	60.08
ANOVA test			p=0.00	p=0.00	p=0.00	p=0.00	p=0.00	p=0.07	p=0.00	p=0.11	p=0.02
Male
G 1	10.0 (5–18)	15	7.89±0.20	3.57±0.28	3.50±0.26	7.07±0.09	16.65±0.70	23.72±0.76	42.72±1.12	20.20±1.46	59.45±1.66
G 2	23.0 (20–34)	22	8.02±0.19	3.53±0.23	3.74±0.20	7.27±0.24	16.62±0.38	23.89±0.55	42.11±1.55	21.27±1.08	58.98±1.18
G 3	46.0 (40–59)	32	7.71±0.12	3.24±0.54	4.41±0.62	7.65±0.43	15.87±0.67	23.47±0.54	43.80±0.94	19.90±0.91	60.13±1.16
G 4	65.0 (60–70)	22	7.66±0.20	3.18±0.36	4.47±0.31	7.65±0.18	15.76±0.52	23.41±0.50	44.09±1.10	19.79±1.01	60.31±1.25
total	43.0 (5–70)	91	7.82	3.38	4.03	7.39	16.21	23.62	43.19	20.31	59.72
Female
G 1	9.0 (8–19)	15	7.75±0.22	3.54±0.33	3.61±0.13	7.15±0.36	15.39±0.73	23.03±0.86	43.60±0.86	21.06±1.63	60.91±2.00
G 2	25.5 (20–36)	14	7.90±0.12	3.36±0.24	3.93±0.27	7.29±0.31	16.35±0.40	23.64±0.60	42.70±0.96	20.44±1.15	59.59±1.39
G 3	50.0 (42–56)	16	7.64±0.30	3.12±0.19	4.42±0.20	7.55±0.17	15.59±0.80	23.13±0.84	44.20±1.70	20.35±0.71	60.90±1.80
G 4	70.0 (65–75)	14	7.45±0.09	3.16±0.21	4.68±0.19	7.84±0.12	15.30±0.22	23.14±0.28	45.30±0.40	19.40±0.39	61.09±0.69
total	42.0 (8–75)	55	7.69	3.30	4.16	7.45	15.79	23.23	43.95	20.31	60.62

T-test	Male & Female		p=0.02	p=0.10	p=0.06	p=0.40	p=0.03	p=0.03	p=0.03	p=0.99	p=0.02

^* G=Group; VCD=vitreous chamber depth; CP=corneal power; LP=lens power; TP=total power.

^† M=Median

^‡ D=Diopter; CR=corneal radius; ACD=anterior chamber depth; LT=lens thickness; AL=axial length

Table 2.

Difference in ocular dimensions by gender in each age group

Group (age)	N	Age	CR	ACD	LT	ACD+LT	VCD	AL	CP	LP	TP
			* Difference (mm)						Difference (D^†)
1-Group	30	0–19	0.15	0.03	−0.11	−0.08	0.72	0.64	−0.82	−0.86	−1.46
2-Group	36	20–39	0.12	0.17	−0.19	−0.02	0.27	0.25	−0.62	−0.07	−0.62
3-Group	48	40–59	0.07	0.12	−0.02	0.10	0.24	0.34	−0.43	−0.45	−0.77
4-Group	36	60–79	0.21	0.02	−0.21	−0.19	0.46	0.27	−1.19	0.39	−0.78
Mean			0.14	0.09	−0.13	−0.05	0.42	0.38	−0.77	−0.25	−0.91
M&F T-test			p=0.02	p=0.10	p=0.06	p=0.40	p=0.03	p=0.03	p=0.03	p=0.99	p=0.02

^* Difference=Male (mean value) – Female (mean value)

^† D=diopter; CR=corneal radius; ACD=anterior chamber depth; LT=lens thickness; AL=axial length; VCD=vitreous chamber depth; CP=corneal power; LP=lens power; TP=total power.

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