# An age-matched comparative study of ocular biometry parameters in cataractous and non-cataractous eyes of children in Ibadan, Nigeria

## TL;DR

This study compared eye measurements in children with and without cataracts in Nigeria to understand typical biometric values and improve cataract management.

## Contribution

The study provides age-matched ocular biometric data for cataractous and non-cataractous children's eyes in an African population.

## Key findings

- Children with cataracts had significantly longer axial lengths compared to controls.
- No significant differences were found in corneal thickness, keratometry, or intraocular pressure between the groups.
- The findings suggest axial length is a distinguishing biometric parameter in cataractous eyes.

## Abstract

This study compared the preoperative ocular biometric parameters of children who had cataract with age-matched healthy children to provide an understanding of a range of typical measurements in indigenous African eyes and aid management of childhood cataract.

Observational, cross-sectional, comparative study of two groups- cases and controls.

Child eye health tertiary health facility

Group A consisted of children aged 2 to 6 years with cataracts, and Group B of age-matched controls. Ocular biometry measurements including keratometry, axial length (AXL), pachymetry (central corneal thickness [CCT]) and tonometry were measured.

Thirty eyes of 24 children were studied in each group. Seventeen (70.8%) children had bilateral cataracts. The mean age of the cataract group (A) was 5.97±2.93 years, while that of the control group (B) was 6.33±2.89 years. The mean preoperative values for the ocular biometric parameters were: Group A AXL= 23.4(±1.4) mm versus Group B AXL= 22.7(±0.9) mm, p= 0.028; Group A CCT= 563.6(±59.7) µm versus Group B CCT= 551.0(±36.4) µm, p= 0.33; and Group A K = 43.4(±2.3) D versus Group B K = 42.5(±1.5) D, p= 0.08. Group A IOP was 13.7(±2.8) mmHg, while Group B IOP was 13.8 (±3.1) mmHg, p =0.93.

There was no statistically significant difference in ocular biometric parameters between children's eyes with and without cataracts except for the axial length.

None declared