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Body height and ocular dimensions in the adult population in rural central india. The Central India Eye and Medical Study

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Abstract

Background

To investigate associations between anthropomorphic parameters and ocular dimensions in a typical rural society untouched by the effects of urbanization.

Methods

The Central India Eye and Medical Study performed in rural Central India included 4,711 participants aged 30 or more years. The participants underwent a detailed ophthalmic and medical examination.

Results

After controlling for age, gender, level of education, and body mass index (BMI), taller subjects were more likely to have larger eyes with a longer axial length (+0.23 mm for each 10 cm increase in height), lower corneal refractive power (-0.50 diopters for each 10 cm increase in height), deeper anterior chambers (+0.03 mm for each 10 cm increase in height), and longer vitreous cavity (+0.20 mm for each 10 cm increase in height). Central corneal thickness (P = 0.97) and lens thickness (P = 0.08) were not significantly associated with body height. After controlling for age, gender, level of education and height, subjects with a higher BMI had shorter globes (-0.02 mm for each unit increase in BMI), flatter corneas (-0.03 diopters for each unit increase in BMI) and thicker corneas (+0.49 μm for each unit increase in BMI), thicker lenses and longer vitreous cavities. Body height as compared with the BMI had a stronger influence on the ocular biometric data. After correcting for age, gender, level of education and axial length, for each increase in body height by 10 cm or for each increase in BMI by one unit, the refractive error significantly increased by 0.23 diopters (P < 0.001) and by 0.40 diopters (P < 0.001) respectively.

Conclusions

In the rural population of Central India without urbanization-associated myopization, body height and size of the eye were associated with each other: taller subjects had larger eyes with a flatter cornea. An increase in body height per 10 cm was associated with an increase in anterior chamber depth by 1% and an increase in vitreous cavity length by 1%. Subjects with a higher body mass index had shorter eyes, flatter and thicker corneas, and thicker lenses. Taller subjects and subjects with a higher BMI were more hyperopic. Since the occurrence of some ocular diseases depends on eye size and refractive error, the results may be helpful for screening examinations and for elucidating pathogenic associations.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by an unrestricted grant from Om Drishti Trust Nagpur; Heidelberg Engineering Co. Heidelberg, Germany; Rotary Sight Saver Netherlands; Orbis India, and Carl Zeiss Meditec Co., Jena, Germany.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Suraj Eye Institute, Plot No 559 New Colony, Nagpur, 440004, Maharashtra, India

    Vinay Nangia, Jost B. Jonas, Arshia Matin, Maithili Kulkarni, Ajit Sinha & Rajesh Gupta

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany

    Jost B. Jonas

Authors
  1. Vinay Nangia
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  2. Jost B. Jonas
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  3. Arshia Matin
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  6. Rajesh Gupta
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jost B. Jonas.

Additional information

Vinay Nangia and Jost B. Jonas contributed equally to this work.

Proprietary interest: none

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Nangia, V., Jonas, J.B., Matin, A. et al. Body height and ocular dimensions in the adult population in rural central india. The Central India Eye and Medical Study. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 248, 1657–1666 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-010-1448-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-010-1448-0

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