Deep anterior chamber depth may be a risk factor for axial length growth in children.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate and evaluate the progression of myopia and associated factors of axial length (AL) growth among children in Chongqing.

METHODS

This six-month prospective study was conducted on students in grades 1 to 8 at a school in Chongqing, China. All participants underwent a standard ophthalmologic examination including uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), noncycloplegic refraction, AL, and corneal topography in March 2023. Six months later, the above examinations were repeated to obtain follow-up data. Visual habits questionnaire was gained to analyze the correlation between the AL growth and vision-related behavior.

RESULTS

A total of 417 students from Chongqing were enrolled in this study. The myopia prevalence was higher in follow-up (38.6%) than in baseline (33.3%) and the AL was longer in follow-up than in baseline (23.69 ± 1.03 mm vs. 23.57 ± 1.03 mm,  < 0.001). The anterior chamber depth (ACD) in students with AL growth greater than or equal to 0.2 mm (3.16 ± 0.23 mm) was deeper than that in students with AL growth less than or equal to 0.05 mm (3.02 ± 0.28 mm,  = 0.001), lens thickness (LT) was thinner (3.29 ± 0.10 mm vs. 3.33 ± 0.10 mm,  = 0.004). Furthermore, ACD was positively correlated with AL growth. ( = 0.181,  < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Compared to SE, AL serves as a more sensitive indicator for monitoring myopia progression. ACD was positively correlated with AL growth, and deeper ACD may be contributed to longer AL growth.