Association of Low Birth Weight with Altered Corneal Geometry and Axial Length in Adulthood in the German Gutenberg Health Study

Abstract

Importance: Low birth weight is associated with altered ocular organ development in childhood, including the morphology of the eye. However, no population-based data exist about this association in adulthood. Objective: To evaluate whether low birth weight has a long-term association with anterior segment anatomy and axial length in adulthood. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Gutenberg Health Study is a population-based, observational cohort study in Germany. All participants underwent ocular biometry. Among the participants with follow-up and self-reported birth weight available, associations were assessed between low birth weight and anterior segment anatomy and axial length using multivariable linear regression analysis with adjustment for age and sex. In patients with phakia, anterior chamber depth and lens thickness were also examined. Data for this study were collected from April 27, 2012, through April 28, 2017, and analyzed from January through April 2018. Exposures: Low birth weight. Main Outcomes and Measures: Corneal curvature, central corneal thickness, white-to-white distance, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, and axial length. Results: Overall, 11294 eyes of 7120 participants were included (52.4% female; mean [SD] age, 56.2 [10.3] years). Most of the participants were white (98.6%). After adjustment for age and sex, an association was found between a lower birth weight and steeper corneal curvature (β = 0.005 mm/100 g; 95% CI, 0.005-0.006 mm/100 g; P