The relationship between relative peripheral refractive error and the progression of myopia

Abstract

It has been shown that emmetropic and low hyperopic eyes in which eyes with relative hyperopic peripheral refractive error may be at greater risk of developing myopia than those with similar refractions but relative myopic peripheral refractive errors.Emmetropic eyes show slightly relative myopic peripheral refractive errors; uncorrected hyperopic eyes show more significant relative myopic peripheral refractive errors.However,uncorrected myopes show slight relative hyperopic peripheral refractive errors or smaller myopic shifts in the periphery than emmetropes.These two ideas are widely accepted by scientists.Animal studies have proven that in addition to producing central refractive errors,abnormal visual signals can alter the shape of the posterior globe of the eye and the type of peripheral refractive errors.In addition,foveal ablation has little influence on emmetropization.On the contrary,the peripheral retina can regulate emmetropizing responses independently and produce refractive errors in response to abnormal visual experience.Clinical research has suggested that spectacles designed to correct peripheral hyperopic defocus could be of some help in controlling the progression of myopia.Whether peripheral hyperopic defocus can drive the development of myopia is uncertain but current studies support an interaction between relative peripheral refractive error and the progression of myopia. Key words: Myopia; Emmetropization; Refractive error; Relative peripheral refractive error