Abstract
Purpose: :
Important ocular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are keratokonjunctivitis sicca, keratitis, episcleritis and scleritis. Ocular involvement is typical for a long disease duration of RA and a positive verification of rheumatoid factor. The aim of this study was to prove whether patients with a disease duration of more than 10 years of RA show changes concerning the biomechanics of the cornea because of collagen remodeling processes.
Methods: :
Thirtyeight patients with RA (f:m = 31:7, average of age ± standard deviation 57.47±5.04 years, duration of RA > 10 years) randomized with a control group of 41 healthy subjects (f:m = 31:10, 55.24±3.39 years) were included in this study. Besides a complete ocular examination, we performed the measurement of the corneal thickness without using the acoustic equivalent factor with the Orbscan II (Bausch&Lomb, USA), and the corneal hysteresis (CH) and the corneal resistance factor (CRF) with the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA, Reichert Ophthalmic Instruments, USA).
Results: :
The central corneal thickness of patients with RA showed an average of 584 ± 37.44 µm (mean±standard deviation). There was no significant difference according the control group (571 ± 38.49 µm). In addition no statistical significant difference of the corneal hysteresis and corneal resistance factor were found between the two tested groups (mean ± standard deviation, CH RA 11.74±1.35mm Hg; control group (C) 11.32±1.46mm Hg; CRF: RA 11.74±1.35mm Hg, C 11.32±1.46mm Hg).
Conclusions: :
Despite the long duration of RA (> 10 years) we could not find any changes of the corneal biomechanics concerning collagenosis.
Keywords: color vision • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment