Anterior Chamber Angle and Anterior Segment Structure of Eyes in Children With Early Stages of Retinopathy of Prematurity.

PURPOSE

To compare structural differences in the anterior chamber angle (ACA) and related optic components in children with or without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

DESIGN

Prospective cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Setting: A referred medical center in Taiwan.

STUDY POPULATION

The patients included preterm children with a history of ROP who had undergone laser therapy. The controls included age-matched healthy full-term children.

OBSERVATION PROCEDURE

The ACA structures were evaluated using gonioscopy.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The angularity of the anterior chamber and associated anatomic changes.

RESULTS

We examined 54 eyes of 29 preterm children with ROP and 134 eyes of 67 children born at term. The eyes of the ROP children exhibited a narrower ACA, steeper iris curvature, and more anteriorly inserted iris than those of the full-term children (P < .001, P = .002, and P = .08, respectively). The eyes of the ROP children also exhibited steeper corneas, shallower anterior chamber depths, thicker lenses, and higher degrees of refractive errors (all P < .001) than those of the full-term children. The axial lengths did not differ between the 2 groups (P = .15).

CONCLUSIONS

The eyes of the ROP children presented a narrower ACA and a more anteriorly curved and inserted iris than those of the full-term children. A steeper cornea, shallower anterior chamber, and greater lens thickness were the main structural changes in the anterior segment components of these patients. Further research is needed to investigate the association between these structural changes and the development of certain ocular diseases, such as glaucoma, in these patients.