To study the correlation between ocular refraction and the refractive components (corneal power, lens power and axial length) in a population-based sample of normal subjects.
We analysed the refractive and biometric findings for 723 right eyes (325 males and 398 females) comprising a population-based random sample of citizens 55 years and older participating in the Reykjavik Eye Study. Measurements of refraction, corneal curvature (by keratometry), anterior chamber depth, lens thickness and axial length (all by ultrasound biometry) were used to calculate crystalline lens power. The correlation and regression between refraction and ocular refractive components (corneal power, anterior chamber depth, lens power and axial length) were studied by distributional statistical methods.
Refraction (spherical equivalent) showed a significant negative correlation with axial length (r = -0.59, P