title: Myopic refractive shift represents dense nuclear sclerosis and thin lens in lenticular myopia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is not rare to meet unilateral nuclear sclerotic cataracts with myopic refractive changes (lenticular myopia) compared with the fellow eye in the ophthalmic examination of patients with decreased visual acuity. To determine the relationship between the myopic refractive changes and interocular differences of parameters, we investigated the interocular differences of ocular parameters between a lenticular myopic eye and the fellow eye.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study included 68 eyes of 34 patients, who showed unilateral lenticular myopia. We compared the dimensions of ocular component, such as anterior chamber depth, anterior chamber volume, lens thickness, vitreous chamber depth, lens position, lens density of nuclear sclerosis, anterior lens curvature and myopic refractive changes (spherical equivalent refraction) between the lenticular myopic eye and the myopic refractive change were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant differences were found between the lenticular myopic eye and the fellow eye for anterior chamber depth (p = 0.015) anterior chamber volume (p = 0.031), lens thickness (p < 0.001), lens density of the nuclear sclerosis (p < 0.001) and the spherical equivalent myopic refractive changes (p < 0.001). Based on univariate analysis, the interocular difference in spherical equivalent refraction was significantly correlated with interocular differences of the density of the nuclear sclerosis (r = 0.79, p < 0.001), lens thickness (r = -0.70, p < 0.001) and vitreous chamber depth (r = 0.43, p = 0.012). Based on multiple regression analysis, the interocular difference in spherical equivalent refraction was significantly correlated with interocular differences of density of nuclear sclerosis (p < 0.001) and lens thickness (p = 0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The difference in myopic spherical change reflects the differences in the severity of nuclear sclerosis and lens thickness between the lenticular myopic eye and the fellow eye.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, St Vincent's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Suwon, South Korea. yangkyeung@hanmail.net
authors.forename: Yang Kyung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nishimura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007907:Lens Nucleus, Crystalline / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000473:pathology*; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012598:Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000473:pathology
keywords: lens density; lens thickness; lenticular myopia; myopia; nuclear sclerosis