Ultrasonic biometry of myopic eyes in premature children

Background. The aim of our work was to determine changes in opticalanatomical elements of myopic eyes of full-term and premature children during accommodation by means of precise ultrasonic biometry. Materials and methods. The study was made on healthy full-term children’s eyes with emmetropic refraction (group, n = 20); full-term 1st degree myopic children’s eyes with refraction from -1.0 D to -3.0 D (group 2, n = 16), and premature children’s myopic eyes with refraction -1.0 D to -3.0 D (group 3, n = 12). The age of children ranged from 6 to 15 years. Gestation age in the pre-term group ranged from 25 to 34 weeks. All were seen in the clinic for the risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity. Precise ultrasonic biometry was done using the ultrasonic measuring system. Results. Ultrasonic biometry evaluates optical-anatomical parameters in premature children’s myopic eyes. Axial length was longer than in healthy and full-term myopic children’s eyes (mean, 24.09 ± 0.69 mm) and lens thickness was bigger (mean 3.35 ± 0.14 mm). In the healthy children’s group: axial length was 23.49 ± 0.48 mm and lens thickness 3.00 ± 0.07 mm, and in the full-term myopic children’s group the axial length was 23.79 ± 0.59 mm and lens thickness 3.24 ± 0.14 mm. Conclusions. No changes in the size of the eye optical-anatomical elements were found in the accommodation process for full-term and premature children’s slightly myopic eyes. In the group of premature children, longer axial length and bigger size of lens thickness were found in myopic eyes (24.09 ± 0.69 mm and 3.35 ± 0.14 mm, respectively). In the group of premature children changes in the optical-anatomical elements parameters of myopic eyes were more pronounced than in the group of full-term children, and it could lead to higher myopia development. Ultrasonic biometry is an effective method in evaluating the activity of eye accommodation apparatus and the possibilities of eye accommodation. Precise ultrasonic biometry can reveal early eye accommodation disturbances in pre-mature children and evaluate the level of myopia.