Association Between Maternal Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index and Astigmatism and Corneal Curvature in Offspring: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: To investigate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and astigmatism and corneal curvature in offspring.

Patients and methods: Corneal topography and an optical biometer were used to measure ocular parameters, while cycloplegic autorefraction was performed to assess cylindrical diopter and axis. Demographic, pregnancy, and offspring-related information was collected through questionnaires. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the association.

Results: A total of 213 mother-child pairs were included. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was categorized as underweight (11.3%), normal weight (66.7%), overweight (16.0%), and obese (6.1%). The mean age of the offspring was 6.80 ± 2.44 years (males 49.3%). Offspring born to mothers with overweight or obese pre-pregnancy BMI exhibited significantly higher steep corneal curvature, average corneal curvature, corneal astigmatism, and total astigmatism compared to those in the normal pre-pregnancy BMI group. In multiple linear regression analysis, after adjusting for relevant covariates, pre-pregnancy BMI was positively associated with steep corneal curvature (β=0.35, P=0.005), corneal astigmatism (β=0.21, P=0.001), and total astigmatism (β=0.22, P<0.001). Compared to normal pre-pregnancy BMI, pre-pregnancy obesity was positively associated with offspring steep corneal curvature (β=1.52, P=0.002) and those born to mothers with overweight or obese pre-pregnancy BMI had a significantly higher prevalence of corneal astigmatism (overweight: β=0.56, P=0.001; obese: β=0.55, P=0.038) and total astigmatism (overweight: β=0.47, P=0.002; obese: β=0.59, P=0.010).

Conclusion: Offspring of mothers with overweight or obese pre-pregnancy BMI show higher prevalence of developing corneal and total astigmatism compared to the normal.