Associations between ocular biometry and anthropometric measurements in a Nigerian population

Purpose: The study aimed at determining the associations between ocular biometry and anthropometric measurements in a Nigerian adult population. Subjects and Methods: Participants were healthy members of staff and students of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife. The height and weight were measured, and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Ocular axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), keratometric readings (K) and corneal radius of curvature were measured with the IOL Master. Data were analysed with SPSS version 16 (IBM Corporation), and associations between ocular biometric variables and anthropometric measurements were explored. Results: Three hundred and fifty healthy participants aged 18–60 years (mean age: 34.8 ± 11.2 years) were enrolled. Height was significantly positively correlated with AL (r = 0.37, P< 0.01) and ACD (r = 0.17, P = 0.01) and negatively correlated with K (r = −0.28, P< 0.01). A significant positive correlation was found between weight and AL (r = 0.13, P = 0.02) while the BMI was only negatively correlated with ACD (r = −0.11, P = 0.04). In multivariate analysis, the relationship between height and AL (R2 = 0.58, P< 0.01) as well as ACD (R2= 0.11, P< 0.01) persisted. The relationship between weight and AL and that between BMI and ACD were totally abolished after controlling for age and height. Conclusion: The body height is independently associated with ocular AL and ACD while the body weight and BMI are not independently associated with any of the ocular biometric indices studied.