title: The relationship of birth weight, gestational age, and postmenstrual age with ocular biometry parameters in premature infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze ocular biometry parameters and evaluate their relationship with gestational age, birth weight, and postmenstrual age in prematurely born infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  The right eyes of 361 premature infants born before the 36th gestational week were evaluated. Birth weight, gestational week, and gender were recorded. An A-scan Biometer was used for obtaining axial measurements, including anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, vitreous length, and total axial length.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gestational age and birth weight values ranged from 23 to 36 weeks and from 560 to 2,670 g, respectively. The mean gestational age and birth weight were 30.8 ± 2.8 weeks and 1,497.9 ± 483.6 g, respectively. During the first examination (4-5 weeks of postnatal age), birth weight and gestational age of the infants correlated significantly and positively with lens thickness, vitreous length, and axial length (r>0.5, p<0.001), but not with anterior chamber depth (r<0.5). Increased vitreous and axial lengths correlated significantly with increasing postmenstrual age of the infants (r=0.669, p<0.001; r=0.845, p<0.001, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lens thickness, vitreous length, and axial length, but not anterior chamber depth, were significantly correlated with birth weight and gestational age. All four parameters increased with increasing postmenstrual age, with higher correlations for vitreous and axial lengths than for anterior chamber depth and lens thickness. It was concluded that axial elongation resulted primarily from increasing posterior chamber length.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozdemir
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zuhal Ozen
authors.initials: ZO
authors.lastname: Tunay
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Damla Erginturk
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Acar
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Antalya Education and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammet Kazım
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Erol
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Tokat Medical Park Hospital, Tokat, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ender
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sener
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Kastamonu Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Acar
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D058452:Axial Length, Eye / Q000502:physiology; D001699:Biometry; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000033:anatomy & histology