Abstract

Previously 1 reported highly significant depression of the chromium-to-vanadium ratio in the nape hair of patients with myopia. It is associated with depressed accommodation and elevated intraocular pressure, both of which are associated with depression of insulin potentiation of glucose uptake by ciliary-muscle insulin receptors.^1,2 In this double-masked cohort-panel study, chromium (Cr) and vanadium (V) were measured in red blood cells (erythrocytes). Of the first 184 patients, 27 were myopic (3 diopters) and 14 were hyperopic (1.25 diopter). I excluded patients less than 20 years old, patients taking chromium supplements, patients taking 1 g or more of ascorbic acid per day, aphakic patients, and patients with cataracts. Erythrocytechromium/erythrocytevanadi um (ECr/EV) ratios and ECr distributions and means were significantly lower in the patients with miopia than in the patients with hyperopia: mean SD ECr/EV = 0.150 0.150 for the myopic patients versus 0.731 0.472 for the hyperopic patients (t = 4.488, p), and ECr = 70.1 53.9 ng/ml for the myopic patients and 256.7 160.0 for the hyperopic patients. Foods rich in chromium include most unprocessed naturally sweet or starchy foods. Foods rich in vanadium include chocolate, kelp, mushrooms, most U.S. chow-fed poultry, and seafood larger than herring. To my knowledge, this is the first report of this red-blood-cell-indexed effect on human refractive development.

© 1990 Optical Society of America