Influence of Intraocular Pressure on Retinal Vascular Caliber Measurements in Children

Abstract

Purpose: To determine whether intraocular pressure (IOP) influences retinal vascular caliber in young children, in order to provide a better understanding of its physiological determinants. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Three hundred and eighty-six Chinese children seven to nine years of age participated in the Singapore Cohort Study of the Risk factors for Myopia (SCORM). IOP was measured by noncontact tonometry. Retinal vascular calibers were measured from retinal photographs using a computer-based program following standardized protocols. Results: After adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, corneal thickness, spherical equivalent refraction, axial length, and birth weight, mean retinal arteriolar and venular caliber were similar across the distribution of IOP (arteriolar caliber of 155.2 μm, 155.6 μm, 153.8 μm, 154.2 μm, P value for trends, 0.45; and venular caliber of 225.7 μm, 220.6 μm, 224.5 μm, 222.7 μm, P value for trends, 0.53; comparing increasing quartiles of IOP). Conclusions: Our study provides no evidence that IOP influences retinal vascular caliber in healthy young children. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.