The accuracy of using vergence formula to screen myopia in children: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of using the vergence formula to screen myopia in children and adolescents.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted between December 2022 and May 2023 at the ophthalmology clinic of Beijing Tongren Hospital. A total of 336 children aged 6 to 12 years with refractive errors were selected according to the inclusion criteria. Biometric measurements, including axial length, corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth, corneal curvature, and lens thickness, were obtained using a biometer. The Calculated spherical equivalent (SE) was then calculated using the vergence formula. Cycloplegic refraction was performed after paralysis of the ciliary muscle, and the subjective SE was recorded. A diagnosis of myopia was made if the subjective SE was ≤ -0.50 diopters.
Results: The AL/CR, subjective SE, and calculated SE were not normally distributed ( p  < 0.05). The AL/CR value was 3.08 (2.81, 3.27), the SE was -1.60 D (-6.00 D, 3.75 D), and the calculated SE was -1.42 D (-6.64 D, 5.73 D). There was no significant difference between the calculated SE and the SE ( Z  = -2.899, p  = 0.004). The AL/CR value was negatively correlated with SE ( r  = -0.687, p  < 0.01), and the calculated SE was positively correlated with SE ( r  = 0.827, p  < 0.01). The area under the ROC curve for predicting myopia using AL/CR and calculated SE was 0.876 and 0.962, respectively, and the difference between the two was significant ( p  < 0.001). The sensitivity of AL/CR was 84.2%, the specificity was 70.6%, the accuracy was 82.1%, and the Youden index was 0.548. The sensitivity of calculated SE was 83.1%, the specificity was 100%, the accuracy was 85.7%, and the Youden index was 0.831.
Conclusion: The vergence formula can be used to evaluate myopia in children and adolescents with relatively high accuracy without cycloplegic refraction.
Competing Interests: HH and WX were employed by Beijing Minghao Technology Development Company. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2023 Yi, Hong, Haikuo and Xinxin.)