Is refraction in early infancy a predictor of myopia at the age of 7 to 8 years? The relationship between cycloplegic refraction at 11 weeks and the manifest refraction at age 7 to 8 years in Chinese children.

Thirty-two children who had been refracted in early infancy were re-refracted at the age of 7 to 8 years. Refraction comprised cycloplegic retinoscopy at the mean age of 11 weeks and noncycloplegic retinoscopy and subjective examination at the mean age of 94 months. The change in spherical equivalent refraction (SER) was highly negatively correlated with the initial refraction (-0.863), demonstrating emmetropization; however, the correlation between the refractive error at age 7 to 8 years and the refractive error in infancy was much weaker (+0.225). The SER was significantly less and the astigmatism was greater in infancy in children who were myopic at age 7 to 8 years. There was, however, extensive overlap in range between the SER for the two groups and the initial SER was not a good predictor of myopia at 7 to 8 years, although it may help to identify children who are unlikely to become myopic. One hyperopic child with bilateral ptosis failed to emmetropize.