Abstract
Purpose: :
To compare mean central corneal thickness (CCT) in a Puerto Rican population to that of published mean CCTs of Caucasian, Hispanic, and African American populations
Methods: :
Volunteers at the Centro Medico, San Juan, Puerto Rico filled out a survey and participated in an eye exam, which included measurement of intraocular pressure via applanation tonometry and central corneal thickness with ultrasound pachymetry. The survey ascertained age, gender, self–designated race, nationality, history of glaucoma, ocular hypertension, ocular surgery and other risk factors for glaucoma.
Results: :
Of 595 participants, the mean CCT was 541 ± 34µm, which is significantly thinner than that of published values of majority populations in the United States (550.4 ± 43.6µm, P<.0025, 552.6 ± 34.5µm, P<.0001, and 558 ± 34.5µm, P<.003), thicker than published values for African Americans (521±40.3µm, P<.0000001, 535.46±33.39µm, P<.05, and 529.8±37.7µm, P<.000000001) and thinner than published mean CCTs for Hispanic populations (548.1 ± 38.8 µm, P<.05, 551.10 ± 35.54µm, P<.0005, and 546.9± 33.5µm, P<.0005). Participants of indigenous (Taíno) Puerto Rican background trended toward a thinner mean CCT (533 ± 30µm) than the rest of the study population, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (P<.10). No other differences were observed among self–designated ethnic groups. Ocular hypertensive subjects had significantly thicker corneas than the normotensive group (P<.015).
Conclusions: :
In this Puerto Rican population, the mean CCT is thicker than reported values of African Americans, but thinner than that of Caucasians, as well as other Hispanic populations previously studied within the United States. An indigenous population of Taíno descendants may have thinner corneas than the rest of the study group. These findings have clinical implications in the diagnosis and management of glaucoma in the Puerto Rican population.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment