A longitudinal study of cycloplegic refraction in a cohort of 350 Japanese schoolchildren. Anisometropia

Abstract

The intereye difference of cycloplegic refraction was determined in a cohort of 350 rural Japanese schoolchildren aged 6 to 11 years. The intereye spherical difference remained statistically unchanged throughout 5 years, with mean value ranging from 0.21 to 0.28 D, median from 0.15 to 0.20 D, and the 95th percentile from 0.58 to 0.85 D. The prevalence of 1.0 D or greater spherical anisometropia was up to 3.1%. Linear regression analyses of the longitudinal data from individual children revealed that 295 (84.3%) children and remained unchanged while 55 (15.7%) showed significant increase or decrease in the amount of anisometropia with increasing age. The intereye astigmatic difference was also statistically unchangeable, with mean value ranging from 0.28 to 0.36 D, median from 0.20 to 0.39 D, and the 95th percentile from 0.70 to 0.90 D. The prevalence of 1.0 D or greater astigmatic anisometropia was up to 4.3%. There was a significant correlation between the spherical and astigmatic anisometropia. The results show the current state of intereye refractive difference in Japanese schoolchildren, demonstrating that it remains unchanged and significant anisometropia is rare during school age.

Prevalence and associations of anisometropia and aniso-astigmatism in a population based sample of 6 year old children

“…4 Studies that used similar methods and definitions reported prevalences of 3.4% 10 to 3.8% (Singapore), 18 1.5% (urban Xiamen, China), 10 4.8% (rural Xiamen, China), 10 and 1.4% (rural Japan). 11 The association of anisometropia with increasing ametropia is consistent with previous studies. 15 16 23 Differences in the distributions of ametropia and anisometropia prevalence at each level of ametropia result in different overall anisometropia prevalences between different populations.…”

Relationship Between Anisometropia, Patient Age, and the Development of Amblyopia

“…He found that at least 11 had the anisometropia resolve. Yamashita and associates 22 found that 15.7% of 350 rural Japanese children had a significant change in the amount of anisometropia with age, that up to 3.1% developed greater than 1.0 diopter spherical anisometropia, and up to 4.3% developed greater than 1.0 diopter of cylindrical anisometropia. Abrahamsson and colleagues 23 longitudinally followed 310 children with astigmatism during 3 years from age 1 to 4.…”

Longitudinal Study of Anisometropia in Singaporean School Children

“…19 Although a study of anisometropia has been performed on retrospective data, 20 such results have not been reported from a prospectively designed study. This study, 20 which included only subjects with myopia in one eye, reported the change of spherical equivalents in each eye with time but not the change of the difference in SE between eyes.…”