BMI and retinal vascular caliber in children

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: In adult populations, changes in retinal vascular caliber have been linked with obesity and metabolic syndrome. We examined the association of BMI and weight with retinal vascular caliber in children. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This was a school-based, cross-sectional study of 768 children, 7 to 9 years old, randomly sampled from the Singapore Cohort Study of the Risk Factors for Myopia. Participants had digital retinal photographs. Retinal vascular caliber was measured using a computer-based program and combined to provide average calibers of arterioles and venules in that eye. Weight and height were measured using standardized protocol. These data were used to calculate BM..