Influence of age on peripheral refraction

To investigate how age affects peripheral refraction we measured objective peripheral refraction for 55 young subjects (24+/-4 years) and 41 older subjects (59+/-3 years) out to 35 degrees eccentricity in temporal and nasal visual fields. Subjects were compared in 1D subgroups based on central spherical equivalent refractions (low hypermetropes +0.54 D to +1.51 D, emmetropes +0.50 D to -0.49 D, low myopes -0.50 D to -1.49 D, moderate myopes -1.50 D to -2.58 D). Overall, young and older subjects with similar refractive corrections had similar peripheral refraction components. Both age groups showed relative hypermetropic shifts in the peripheral fields as myopia increased and also decreases in peripheral astigmatism J180 as myopia increased. J45 varied little across the visual field with linear relationships occurring between J45 and visual field angle for all but one subgroup (older emmetropes). Peripheral refraction in emmetropes to moderate myopes is relatively unaffected by age for healthy eyes of similar refractive errors.