Parental astigmatism has independent and dose-dependent association with child astigmatism

Written By : Dr. Shravani Dali |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-03-18T10:00:59+05:30 | Updated On 18 March 2023 5:33 PM IST

Parental astigmatism may confer an independent and dose-dependent association with child astigmatism, according to a study published online Dec. 21 in JAMA Network Open.

Ka Wai Kam, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and colleagues examined the association between parental astigmatism and child astigmatism. The analysis included 5,708 familial trios, each comprising a child aged 6 to 8 years and both parents, participating in the Hong Kong Children Eye Study. Parental astigmatism is a factor associated with risk for development of child astigmatism; however, the magnitude of the association has not been determined. A study was conducted to determine the association between parental and child astigmatism.

This population-based, cross-sectional study included participants from familial trios, each comprising a child aged 6 to 8 years and both parents, recruited from the Hong Kong Children Eye Study. No restriction criteria were set on the children in terms of refractive status. Data were analyzed from February to June 2022.

Cycloplegic autorefraction and autokeratometry were conducted on the children, whereas noncycloplegic autorefraction and autokeratometry were conducted on their parents. The children were categorized into 6 groups on the basis of the severity of astigmatism of both parents. Information on parental education, family income, and children’s outdoor and near work time were obtained by questionnaires.

The primary outcome was the odds of child astigmatism among the 6 categories of children. Associations of factors with child astigmatism were evaluated by logistic regression analyses.

Results

• A total of 17 124 participants from 5708 trios (2964 boys and 2754 girls) at a mean (SD) age of 7.32 (0.87) years, and 11 416 parents were examined.

• Astigmatism of 1.0 D or greater in both parents was associated with greater odds of refractive astigmatism (RA) and corneal astigmatism in the child.

• The respective ORs increased to 3.10 and 4.31 when both parents had astigmatism 2.0 D or greater.

• Higher parental astigmatism conferred higher risks for both RA and CA in children

• Parental astigmatism was significantly associated with greater odds of corresponding child astigmatism

The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that parental astigmatism may confer an independent and dose-dependent association with child astigmatism. Children with parents with astigmatism should have early eye examinations for timely detection of astigmatism to facilitate age-appropriate vision correction and visual development.

Reference:

Kam KW, Chee ASH, Zhang Y, et al. Association of Maternal and Paternal Astigmatism With Child Astigmatism in the Hong Kong Children Eye Study. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(12):e2247795. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.47795

JAMA Network OpenParental astigmatismchild astigmatismrisk

Source : JAMA Network Open

Dr. Shravani Dali

Dr. Shravani Dali has completed her BDS from Pravara institute of medical sciences, loni. Following which she extensively worked in the healthcare sector for 2+ years. She has been actively involved in writing blogs in field of health and wellness. Currently she is pursuing her Masters of public health-health administration from Tata institute of social sciences. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751