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Body Mass Index is Associated With Direction-Specific Increases in With-the-Rule Corneal and Refractive Astigmatism in Schoolchildren.

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Title: Body Mass Index is Associated With Direction-Specific Increases in With-the-Rule Corneal and Refractive Astigmatism in Schoolchildren.
Authors: Kerin, Eoin (AUTHOR), Moore, Michael (AUTHOR), Loughman, James (AUTHOR), Harrington, Síofra (AUTHOR)
Source: Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics. May2026, Vol. 46 Issue 2, p230-241. 12p.
Subjects: Body mass index, Astigmatism, Astigmatism (Optics), Vector analysis, Eye physiology, School children
Geographic Terms: Ireland
Abstract: Purpose: Examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and astigmatism directionality using vector analysis of refractive and corneal components (J0, J45) in a nationally representative sample of schoolchildren. Refractive and corneal J0 was the primary outcome, with secondary aims to assess whether BMI influences astigmatism severity or other refractive and axial parameters. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 1626 schoolchildren aged 6–7 (n = 728) and 12–13 years (n = 898) from 37 randomly selected schools in Ireland. Cycloplegic autorefraction and ocular biometry were obtained. Height and weight were measured and BMI calculated and analysed as a continuous predictor, with WHO-defined BMI categories used for secondary severity modelling. Refractive and corneal astigmatism were decomposed into vector components (J0, J45). Multivariate linear regression assessed associations between BMI and J0, J45, spherical equivalent refraction (SER), axial length (AL) and axial length/corneal radius (AL/CR) ratio, adjusted for sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and urban/rural location. Ordinal logistic regression examined associations between BMI category and clinically defined astigmatism severity. Results: Higher BMI was associated with a positive shift in refractive J0, indicating increased with-the-rule astigmatism. Associations were small but consistent in both age groups: 12–13 years (corneal J₀ β = 0.03, p < 0.001; refractive J₀ β = 0.02, p < 0.001) and 6–7 years (corneal J₀ β = 0.03, p = 0.008; refractive J₀ β = 0.03, p = 0.007). Associations with J45 were weak and inconsistent. BMI was not associated with SER, AL or the AL/CR ratio. Compared with non-overweight peers, children with obesity had higher odds of moderate-to-severe astigmatism (6–7 years: OR = 5.26, 95% CI: 1.70–9.37; 12–13 years: OR = 2.50, 95% CI: 1.00–4.34). Conclusions: Higher BMI was independently associated with increased J0, indicating greater with-the-rule refractive and corneal astigmatism, without evidence of an effect on axial length or overall refractive status. These cross-sectional findings suggest a potential biomechanical influence on corneal toricity, highlighting the need for longitudinal studies to clarify causality and mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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PubTypeId: academicJournal
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  Label: Title
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  Data: Body Mass Index is Associated With Direction-Specific Increases in With-the-Rule Corneal and Refractive Astigmatism in Schoolchildren.
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  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Kerin%2C+Eoin%22&quot;&gt;Kerin, Eoin&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Moore%2C+Michael%22&quot;&gt;Moore, Michael&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Loughman%2C+James%22&quot;&gt;Loughman, James&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Harrington%2C+S&#237;ofra%22&quot;&gt;Harrington, S&#237;ofra&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)
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  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;JN&quot; term=&quot;%22Ophthalmic+%26+Physiological+Optics%22&quot;&gt;Ophthalmic &amp; Physiological Optics&lt;/searchLink&gt;. May2026, Vol. 46 Issue 2, p230-241. 12p.
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  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Body+mass+index%22&quot;&gt;Body mass index&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Astigmatism%22&quot;&gt;Astigmatism&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Astigmatism+%28Optics%29%22&quot;&gt;Astigmatism (Optics)&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Vector+analysis%22&quot;&gt;Vector analysis&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Eye+physiology%22&quot;&gt;Eye physiology&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22School+children%22&quot;&gt;School children&lt;/searchLink&gt;
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– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Purpose: Examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and astigmatism directionality using vector analysis of refractive and corneal components (J0, J45) in a nationally representative sample of schoolchildren. Refractive and corneal J0 was the primary outcome, with secondary aims to assess whether BMI influences astigmatism severity or other refractive and axial parameters. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 1626 schoolchildren aged 6–7 (n = 728) and 12–13 years (n = 898) from 37 randomly selected schools in Ireland. Cycloplegic autorefraction and ocular biometry were obtained. Height and weight were measured and BMI calculated and analysed as a continuous predictor, with WHO-defined BMI categories used for secondary severity modelling. Refractive and corneal astigmatism were decomposed into vector components (J0, J45). Multivariate linear regression assessed associations between BMI and J0, J45, spherical equivalent refraction (SER), axial length (AL) and axial length/corneal radius (AL/CR) ratio, adjusted for sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and urban/rural location. Ordinal logistic regression examined associations between BMI category and clinically defined astigmatism severity. Results: Higher BMI was associated with a positive shift in refractive J0, indicating increased with-the-rule astigmatism. Associations were small but consistent in both age groups: 12–13 years (corneal J₀ β = 0.03, p &lt; 0.001; refractive J₀ β = 0.02, p &lt; 0.001) and 6–7 years (corneal J₀ β = 0.03, p = 0.008; refractive J₀ β = 0.03, p = 0.007). Associations with J45 were weak and inconsistent. BMI was not associated with SER, AL or the AL/CR ratio. Compared with non-overweight peers, children with obesity had higher odds of moderate-to-severe astigmatism (6–7 years: OR = 5.26, 95% CI: 1.70–9.37; 12–13 years: OR = 2.50, 95% CI: 1.00–4.34). Conclusions: Higher BMI was independently associated with increased J0, indicating greater with-the-rule refractive and corneal astigmatism, without evidence of an effect on axial length or overall refractive status. These cross-sectional findings suggest a potential biomechanical influence on corneal toricity, highlighting the need for longitudinal studies to clarify causality and mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: &lt;i&gt;Copyright of Ophthalmic &amp; Physiological Optics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder&#39;s express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.&lt;/i&gt; (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1007/s44402-026-00032-4
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 12
        StartPage: 230
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Body mass index
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Astigmatism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Astigmatism (Optics)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vector analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Eye physiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School children
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ireland
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Body Mass Index is Associated With Direction-Specific Increases in With-the-Rule Corneal and Refractive Astigmatism in Schoolchildren.
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            NameFull: Kerin, Eoin
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            NameFull: Moore, Michael
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            NameFull: Loughman, James
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            NameFull: Harrington, Síofra
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            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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            – TitleFull: Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics
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