Refractive and ocular biometric characteristics of non-myopic and pseudomyopic eyes in mild hyperopic Chinese children aged 3-12 years.

PURPOSE

To investigate the refractive and ocular biometric characteristics of children with mild hyperopia and distinguish between non-myopic and pseudomyopic eyes before cycloplegia.

METHODS

The eligible children underwent refractive error measurements using a NIDEK autorefractor before and after the administration of 0.5 % tropicamide. Ocular biometric parameters, including axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and lens thickness (LT), were measured using the IOLMaster 700 before cycloplegia. We performed comparative analyses between the non-myopic and pseudomyopic groups, categorized based on whether the spherical equivalent (SE) before cycloplegia exceeded -0.50 diopters (D). Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were performed to control for confounding factors.

RESULTS

The final analysis included 968 eyes. The participants with pseudomyopia were more likely to be boys ( = 0.029), younger ( = 0.004), less hyperopic ( < 0.001) after cycloplegia, and exhibit a higher delta SE ( < 0.001) compared to the non-myopic participants. Pseudomyopic eyes were associated with a shallower ACD ( = 0.004) and thicker LT ( < 0.001) than non-myopic eyes. After adjusting for sex, age, and SE, pseudomyopic eyes showed increased AL ( = 0.001) and LT ( < 0.001) and decreased ACD ( = 0.005) compared with non-myopic eyes before cycloplegia.

CONCLUSIONS

Among the children with mild hyperopia, pseudomyopia was more common in younger boys with a lower cycloplegic SE and higher delta SE. A thicker LT, shallower ACD, and increased AL may indicate the presence of pseudomyopia, which may provide insights into the rapid progression of myopia in children with pseudomyopia.