Measurements of Peripheral Refraction in Malay and Chinese Myopic Children in Kuala Lumpur: A Pilot Study

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Bariah Mohd-Ali
Syarifah Faiza Syed Mohd Dardin
Yu Chen Low
Fatin Nur Najwa Norazman
Mizhanim Mohamad Shahimin
Norhani Mohidin

Abstract

Introduction: Retinal shape varies between ethnicities and may contribute to myopia development. This study investigated the peripheral refraction (PR) in Malay and Chinese myopic children living in Kuala Lumpur. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study involving data from 96 participants (40 Malays, 56 Chinese). Subjects were myopes from -0.50D to -5.00D, with visual acuity (VA) of 0.00 log MAR in each eye. Cycloplegic refraction was conducted using an autorefractometer across the horizontal meridian, out to 30° at 10° intervals in the nasal (N) and temporal (T) of the retina. Axial length (AL) measurements were taken using A-scan and optical biometry. The results were analysed using SPSS. Results: The mean age of subjects was 9.55 ± 1.51 years (Malays) and 8.34 ± 0.48 years (Chinese) (p<0.05). Mean SER and AL for the Malays and Chinese were -2.97±1.26D and -3.06 ± 1.10D (p>0.05) and 24.74± 0.90mm and 24.50 ± 0.86mm (p<0.05) respectively. Higher hyperopic shift was observed in the Chinese than Malays but was only significant at 300 N (p=0.003). Greater RPR was noted at all eccentricities in the Chinese than the Malays (p<0.0001). No significant differences were noted in J0 and J45 between both ethnicities (p>0.05) and AL was shown to have significant influence in the changes of PR for both groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: Chinese children have greater horizontal hyperopic PR and RPR than the Malays of similar refractive error, indicating a more prolate ocular shape. Nevertheless, more data is needed to confirm these findings.

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Bariah Mohd-Ali, Syed Mohd Dardin, S. F., Yu Chen Low, Norazman, F. N. N., Mizhanim Mohamad Shahimin, & Norhani Mohidin. (2026). Measurements of Peripheral Refraction in Malay and Chinese Myopic Children in Kuala Lumpur: A Pilot Study. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 22(3), 1571. https://doi.org/10.47836/mjmhs.v22i3.1571
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Original Articles

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