healthmedicinet

Research article

Balamurali Vasudevan, Brian Fisher, Barry Case, Phu Lam and Jeff Wayman

Abstract (provisional)

Background

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of near-work on lower and
higher-order aberrations, and its progression over a 9-month period during the school
year.

Methods

Data from 24 young-adult myopic eyes, and 24 non-myopic eyes were used in this investigation.
The lower-order aberrations, coma, spherical aberration (SA), and total root mean
square (RMS) of higher order aberrations (total HOA) were measured using an open-field
iTrace aberrometer, at both the initial baseline evaluation, and then at the follow-up
visits over a 9-month period. Pupil size of 4 mm was used for the aberration measurements.

Results

The group mean (SD) of the subjects (mean age: 23.6 +/- 3.4 years) at the initial
and follow-up visit was 0.47D (0.50D) and 0.31D (0.41D), in the non-myopes and -3.58D
(2.08D) and -3.86D (2.14D) in the myopes, respectively. Significant increases in myopic
refraction were observed. The group mean (SD) total HOA at the initial and last visit
was 0.12 (0.08) and 0.11 (0.06) microns, in the non-myopes, and 0.15 (0.08) and 0.15
(0.08) microns, in the myopes, respectively. The group mean RMS of the coma at the
initial and last visit was 0.06 (0.04) and 0.07 (0.05), in the non-myopes, and 0.08
(0.06) and 0.08 (0.06) microns, in the myopes, respectively. The group mean SA of
the subjects at the initial and last visit was 0.04 (0.04) and 0.03 (0.03), in the
non-myopes, and 0.04 (0.04) and 0.04 (0.04) microns, in the myopes, respectively.

Conclusions

There was a significant difference in myopic refraction, over the 9-month assessment
period. However, no significant difference in total HOA, SA, and coma between the
initial and follow-up visits in both the myopes and the non-myopes was observed.