Ocular Biometric and Optical Coherence Tomography Parameters in Former Preterm Children: A Cohort Study.

PURPOSE

To compare biometric and optical coherence tomography parameters as well as refractive status in preterm children aged 4-8 years with or without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and evaluate their correlations with age and gender-matched full-term children.

METHODS

Retrospective comparative cohort study of four groups of children. Children with a history of preterm birth, including ROP who received intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) treatment, children with a history of ROP that regressed without treatment and those with no history of ROP were compared to age and gender-matched full-term children as a control group. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spherical equivalent of refraction (SE), macular and choroidal thickness, as well as biometric parameters was measured.

RESULTS

A total of 120 eyes of 120 children (30 children in each group) were included. There was no significant difference in BCVA, SE, and subjective cylinder between groups (=0.05, =0.3, =0.6, respectively). Axial length was significantly shorter, and the cornea was steeper in both ROP groups than in other groups (=0.001, < 0.001, respectively). The central macular thickness was significantly thicker in the treated, regressed ROP and preterm groups than in full-term children ( < 0.001). The gestational age was negatively correlated with macular thickness in both treated and regressed ROP groups ( = -0.517; =0.003,  = - 0.490; =0.006, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Children with a history of ROP had a shorter axial length, steeper cornea, and thicker macula that correlated with lower gestational age.