Oriental oculopalpebral dimensions: Quantitative comparison between Orientals from Japan and Brazil

Rodrigo U Takahagi¹, Silvana A Schellini¹, Carlos R Padovani¹, Shinji Ideta², Nobutada Katori², Yasuhisa Nakamura²

¹Department of Ophthalmology, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Botucatu, Sao Paulo State, Brazil; ²Department of Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery, Hamamatsu Seirei General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka-ken, Japan

Objectives: Quantitative evaluation of palpebral dimensions of Japanese residents in Japan and Japanese descendant (Nikkeis) who live in Brazil, in order to define if environmental factors may influence these parameters.

Methods: A prospective study evaluating 107 Nikkeis from Brazil and 114 Japanese residents in Japan, aged 20 years or older. Exclusion criteria were those with palpebral position alterations, prior palpebral surgery, and crossbreeding. Images were obtained with a digital camera, 30 cm from the frontal plane at pupil height, with the individual in a primary position and the eye trained on the camera lens. Images were transferred to computer and processed by the Scion Image program. Measurements were made of distance between medial canthi, distance between pupils (IPD), superior eyelid crease position, distance between the superior lid margin and corneal reflexes (MRD), horizontal width, height, area, and obliquity of the palpebral fissure. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance for a three factor model and respective multiple comparison tests.

Results: Japanese residents and Nikkeis living in Brazil have similar measurements. Statistical differences were found for some age groups concerning distance between pupils, horizontal, and vertical fissures, palpebral fissure area, and obliquity with native Japanese presenting discretely higher measurements than Nikkeis.

Conclusion: Environmental factors do not affect palpebral dimensions of Nikkeis living in Brazil.

Keywords: eyelid dimensions, Japanese, Nikkeis, digital image