Should Astigmatism be Corrected until the Age of Three? Results of a Six-year Study of Refraction in Children

The state of refraction in young children is important to be examined in order to prevent different eye diseases (amblyopia, strabismus, hordeolosis, blepharitis etc.). Part of these diseases may interfere with the normal development of a child, as well as they may affect the process of socialization. AIM: The aim of this study is to determine and follow-up aspheric refraction dynamics in children up to age three. Patients and Methods: The study covers 324 children (648 eyes) from Sofia city and Sofia district (Bulgaria), aged between 6 and 12 months at their first visit and refraction examination. 159 of them are girls (318 eyes) and 165boys (330 eyes). The children are followed up in time. They are grouped in four age groups and divided by gender. The methods used are: photorefractometry with PlusoptiX S04; cycloplegia, retinoscopy and optical correction if needed; statistics. Results: Astigmatism changes with age (towards reducing); Diopters of astigmatism are most decreased in age between 12 and 18 months; There is no statistically significant difference in aspheric refraction between genders. Conclusion: PlusoptiX S04 photorefractometer is operational for children aged at least 5 months. This is a quite accurate method for determining the aspheric refraction in children without cycloplegia. It allows us to state that astigmatism reduces considerably with age.