Elsevier

Ophthalmology

Volume 89, Issue 4, April 1982, Pages 298-302
Ophthalmology

The Relation of Myopia and Astigmatism in Developing Eyes

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0161-6420(82)34788-0Get rights and content

Abstract

The relation of astigmatism and myopia was analyzed in 298 myopic children, ages birth to 10 years. The mean spherical equivalent, determined by cyclopentolate retinoscopy, for the entire group was −2.9 diopters and did not change significantly with age. However, in 3-year-old children and younger, myopia progressed in eyes with ⩾1 diopter of cylinder and tended to increase through age 8 years in those having ⩾3 diopters of cylinder. Also, astigmatic errors ⩾1 diopter, especially of oblique orientation, were associated with higher degrees of myopia than nonastigmatic errors. These data from myopic children suggest that uncorrected astigmatism during a period of visual immaturity influences the course of myopia. Thus, naturally occurring astigmatic errors, that are frequent among infants and young children, appear to have a role similar to the vision blurring perturbations that trigger the development of myopia in young animals. Ascertainment and full correction of these refractive errors in young children may be important in assuring the best possible vision.

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    Supported in part by NIH grants EYHD 3211 and P 30 HD06276. Presented at the Eighty-sixth Annual Meeting of American Academy of Ophthalmology, Atlanta Georgia, November 1–6, 1981.

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