The Development of Ocular Biometric Parameters in Premature Infants without Retinopathy of Prematurity

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the developmental tendencies and distribution of ocular biometric parameters in premature infants without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT) and vitreous length (VL) were measured, and their relationships with birth weight (BW) and postmenstrual age (PMA) were analyzed during their earliest weeks of life. Methods This cross-sectional cohort study included 633 premature infants. They were divided into nine groups according to their PMA: 32 weeks, 33 weeks, 34 weeks, and onward to 40 weeks. All participants underwent portable slit-lamp examination, RetCam3 and A-scan ultrasound biometry. The following ocular biometric parameters were recorded: AL, ACD, LT and VL. The t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and the multiple regression analysis model were used to analyze the data. Results The increases in AL, ACD, LT and VL were 0.14 mm, 0.028 mm, 0.0025 mm and 0.11 mm per week, respectively. AL, ACD, LT and VL were positively correlated with BW (beta = 0.000337, 4.234E-5, 2.697E-5, 0.000278, respectively) and PMA (beta = 0.142, 0.026, 0.011, 0.103, respectively). Conclusions With maturation, AL and VL increased and ACD deepened, but there was no significant change in LT. The ocular growth parameters were positively correlated with BW and PMA however the correlations were not strong.