Intraocular Pressure, Age, and Central Corneal Thickness in a Healthy Chinese Children Population: The Handan Offspring Myopia Study

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To assess the distribution and factors related to intraocular pressure (IOP) in a Chinese children population in Northern China.

Methods

1,238 offspring aged 6 to 18 years, residing in six villages, were recruited for this current study, the Handan Offspring Myopia Study. Participants underwent an interviewer-administered questionnaire and a complete ocular examination, including standardized measurement of IOP with Perkins applanation tonometry.

Results

1,648 eyes of 828 children were included in the analysis. The mean IOP was 13.9 ± 1.6 mmHg. The mean IOP for the study population increased from 13.0 ± 1.5 mmHg for those 6 to 7 years of age to 14.2 ± 1.4 mmHg for those 15 years of age or older (P < .001). The mean central corneal thickness (CCT) was 548.7 ± 32.1 μm, and had no difference among different age groups and gender. In univariate regression analysis, age (0.12 mmHg per 1 year old), height (0.09 mmHg per 5 cm), weight (0.02 mmHg per kg), body mass index (0.07 mmHg per 1 m/kg2), systolic blood pressure (0.06 mmHg per 5 mmHg), CCT (0.06 mmHg per 5 μm), and SE (−0.11 mmHg per 1 D) were correlated with IOP. In multivariate regression analysis, higher IOP was only associated with older ages (p = .002) and thicker CCT (p = .001).

Conclusion

The mean IOP in healthy rural Chinese children aged 6–18 years is about 14 mmHg, which is lower than in adults in the same locality. The mean IOP is slightly increasing with age during childhood, which is opposite to the result among adults. Age and CCT are the major independent factors associated with IOP.

KEYWORDS:

• Population-based study
• intraocular pressure
• risk factors
• Chinese children
• central corneal thickness

Disclosure Statement

None from the Authors.

Submission statement

This submission has not been published anywhere previously and that it is not simultaneously being considered for any other publication.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Beijing Science & Technology Novel Star Program (2009B44), the Handan Science & Technology Research Development Program (1113108019), and Zhejiang Innovative Talents Program (No. 2016025).