Accuracy and validity of IK4 handheld video keratometer measurements in children.

The infant keratometer (IK4) is a custom handheld instrument that was designed specifically to allow measurement of corneal astigmatism in infants as young as 6 months of age. In this study, accuracy of IK4 measurements with the use of standard toric surfaces was within 0.25 D. Validity measurements obtained in 860 children aged 3-7 years demonstrated slightly greater astigmatism measurements in the IK4 than in the Retinomax K+. Measurement success was 98% when the IK4 was used. The IK4 may prove to be clinically useful for screening children as young as 3 years of age at high risk for corneal astigmatism.