Analysis of Factors Affecting the Change in Axial Length of Premature Infant's Eye

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To analyze the effect of presence with or absent of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and its stage, birth weight, conceptual age and associated diseases on the axial length of premature infants' eye. METHODS: A total of 102 eyes of 51 premature infants less than 36 weeks of conceptual age were evaluated in this study. Fundus examination for ROP and axial length measurement were conducted at 40, 52 and 64 weeks of postconceptual age. The medical records were reviewed retrospectively. Independent t-test analysis, simple regression analysis, and one-way ANOVA were performed to assess the influence of each factor on axial length. RESULTS: The mean axial length at 40, 52 and 64 weeks were 17.35, 18.80 and 19.78 mm, respectively. The mean axial length with and without ROP at 40 weeks were 17.10 mm and 17.54 mm, respectively, which were statistically significant (p=0.000). There was a significant decrease in axial length at 40 weeks in the higher ROP stage (p<0.05). Axial length and birth weight showed positive correlation with statistical significance at 40 weeks, while these parameters showed no significant correlation at 64 weeks. Axial length and conceptual age showed a positive correlation with statistical significance at 40 weeks (p=0.000), yet a negative correlation at 64 weeks with no statistical significance (p=0.306). A significant difference was not observed between sex and the associated diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The factors that affect the axial length of an infants'eye at 40 weeks were ROP and its stage, birth weight, and conceptual age. Additionally, there was no significant relationship between sex and the associated diseases.