Distribution of axial length, anterior chamber depth, and corneal curvature in an aged population in South China

BACKGROUND Ocular biometry is important for preoperative assessment in cataract and anterior segment surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate normative ocular biometric parameters and their associations in an older Chinese population. METHODS This was a cross-sectional observational study. From 2013 to 2014, we recruited inhabitants aged 50 years or older in Guangzhou, China. Among 1,117 participants in the study, data from 1,015 phakic right eyes were used for analyses. Ocular parameters including axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and corneal curvature (K) were measured using an IOL Master. RESULTS The mean AL, ACD, and K were 23.48 mm [95 % confidence interval (CI), 23.40-23.55], 3.03 mm (CI, 3.01-3.05), and 44.20 mm (CI, 44.11-44.29), respectively. A mean reduction in ACD with age was observed (P = 0.002) in male subjects but not in female subjects (P = 0.558). Male subjects had significantly longer ALs (23.68 mm versus 23.23 mm, P < 0.001), deeper ACDs (3.13 mm versus 2.95 mm, P < 0.001), and flatter Ks (43.85D versus 44.50 D, P < 0.001) than female subjects. Eyes with axial elongation had a flatter cornea (r = -0.437, P < 0.001) and a deeper anterior chamber (r = 0.652, p < 0.001). The ACD was correlated with K (r = -0.266, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS These data provide normative values for AL, ACD, and K using the IOL Master for a population in South China. The AL in this Chinese cohort was greater than that observed in the Singaporean Chinese but smaller than that observed in Malaysia and for Caucasians. The Chinese have a shallower ACD than some other racial groups. Age and sex were the most consistent predictors of ocular biometry in the older population from South China.