Central Corneal Thickness and Glaucoma in Aphakic and Pseudophakic Children

Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose: To present the central corneal thickness (CCT) findings and evaluate the risk of glaucoma in aphakic and pseudophakic children. Methods: Patients from the practices of two pediatric ophthalmologists and two glaucoma specialists had measurements of CCT, intraocular pressure (IOP), and optic nerve cupping with visual field analysis when possible. Normal fellow eyes of unilateral aphakes and pseudophakes were included as controls. Results: In 36 aphakic and 6 pseudophakic eyes, CCT averaged 660 microns, compared to 576 microns for phakic fellow eyes (p<0.0001), which were themselves thicker than reported normals for children and adults. Glaucoma, defined by IOP at least 22 mm Hg associated with optic nerve changes, occurred in 21% of 28 aphakic patients but no pseudophakic patient. Conclusions: CCT in aphakic/pseudophakic children is substantially increased compared to normals. These values may be important in interpreting IOP measurements in these children.

Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: natural history