[Relationship between birth month and corneal radius or axial length].

PURPOSE: Hyperopia prevalence is higher in children born in the autumn. This study attempted to detect whether corneal curvature or axial length are related to this phenomenon. METHODS: Using data from a total of 4056 cataract patients aged 40 and over from three medical facilities, corneal radius and axial length, measured to determine the intraocular lens power needed for cataract surgery, were reviewed. Mean corneal radius and mean axial length were calculated for each birth month. The means were then graphically analyzed to determine the relationship of corneal radius or axial length with birth month. RESULTS: No correlation was noted between axial length and birth month. However, a correlation between corneal radius and birth month was observed in each of the three facilities. Specifically, subjects born from October through December tended to have larger corneal radii. Numerically, the corneal radius showed a statistical relationship in terms of birth month (p < 0.001, ANOVA), while the axial length showed no relationship (p = 0.907, ANOVA). CONCLUSION: A statistically meaningful relationship between corneal curvature and birth month was detected. Corneal development might be affected by seasonal daylight variations in infancy, thus contributing to the occurrence of hyperopia.

Surgical procedure for correcting globe dislocation in highly myopic strabismus.

PURPOSE: To design a surgical procedure for correcting globe dislocation in strabismus in high myopia (highly myopic strabismus). DESIGN: Prospective, interventional case series. METHODS: We examined 36 eyes of 21 patients with highly myopic strabismus and 27 eyes of 27 healthy volunteers as controls at Osaka City General Hospital between 2000 and 2006. Anatomic relationships between the muscle cone and globe were analyzed using magnetic resonance imaging. Ranges of globe movement and angles of ocular deviation were measured quantitatively as angles of maximum abduction and sursumduction and angles of ocular deviation, respectively, using the Goldmann perimeter and alternate prism cover tests. A surgical procedure involving muscle union of the superior rectus and lateral rectus muscles was performed in 23 eyes of 14 patients to restore the dislocated globe back to the muscle cone. RESULTS: After surgery, the angle of dislocation of the globe, defined as the angle formed by a line connecting the area centroid of the superior rectus muscle and the globe and a line connecting area centroid of the lateral rectus muscle and globe against the supertemporal wall of the orbit, was significantly decreased (P < .001), and angles of maximum abduction and sursumduction and the angle of ocular deviation improved significantly (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This surgical procedure to restore the dislocated globe back into the muscle cone by uniting muscle bellies of the superior rectus and lateral rectus muscles is effective for highly myopic strabismus.

An infant with idiopathic orbital myositis poorly responsive to steroid therapy: a case report.

A 9-month-old girl developed subacute limited adduction of the left eye, presenting with blepharoptosis. An orbital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 2 months after the onset revealed swelling of the left lateral rectus muscle, with increased intensity on T2-weighted images with fat saturation, which was enhanced with gadolinium. She was diagnosed with idiopathic orbital myositis based on history, physical examination, and MRI findings. Swelling of the left lateral rectus muscle was partially reduced by pulse steroid therapy. This is the first reported case of an infant orbital pseudotumor with clinical and MRI findings consistent with subacute orbital myositis. We propose that a fibrotic change of the orbital muscle may occur during a subacute course and would be incompletely responsive to steroid therapy.