Biometric Assessment in High Myopia as a Function of Gender

Myopia is the primary reason for correctable visual impairment in adults in the developed world and is one of the main causes of preventable blindness in developing countries. The prevalence of high myopia has recently been estimated to be as high as 16% in East-Asian populations. Previous studies showed differences in biometric parameters between male and females in normal population. The aim of the present study was to compare the ocular biometry in highly myopic patients as a function of gender.Methods: Sixty eyes of 60 highly myopic (defined as a mean spherical equivalent refraction of -6.00Dor greater and axial length ≥ 26 mm) patients were recruited for the present study and divided into two groups according to the gender. Those with a history of ocular surgery or disease or intraocular pressure greater than 21 mmHg were excluded from the study population. Ocular biometric parameters including axial length, anterior chamber depth, central corneal thickness, lens thickness, and white-to-white corneal diameter was obtained with a Lenstar LS 900 (Haag Streit AG, Koeniz, Switzerland) noncontact biometer. Student t-tests were used to detect differences in biometry parameters between groups.Results: Of the 60 high myopic patients recruited for the study, 24 participants were male (age range: 28.33± 6.89) and 36 participants were female (age range: 28.14± 6.09). No significant differences were noted in biometric parameters between two groups except for the white-to-white corneal diameter, which was statistically significant between males and females (p=0.048)Conclusion: In evaluation of biometric parameters in highly myopic eyes, only the white-to-white corneal diameter is strongly correlated with gender and is wider in males than females; however, the other biometric factors in high myopic eyes are independent of gender