Influence of Age and Body Weight on Central and Peripheral Corneal Scheimpflug Pachymetry With the Pentacam–System

Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose: Knowledge about Corneal thickness is important for interpretation of IOP, refractive surgery and corneal diseases. The purpose of this study was to get specific norm values for the Pentacam System to enable a better characterisation of corneal anatomy. The purpose was also to investigate the influence of body size, body mass index, body weight, gender and refraction on central and peripheral corneal thickness in Caucasian normal subjects. Methods: The Pentacam system is a 180° rotating Scheimpflug camera, which is computer aided and may be used to generate reconstructions of the anterior segment from 12 to 50 single captures. In this study the central corneal thickness was calculated from 25 single captures in the eyes of 182 normal Caucasian subjects (age: 18–83 years). The peripheral corneal thickness was measured within 3 mm distance at 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°. All subjects were examined by ophthalmologists. By means of non–parametric tests correlations between corneal thickness and body size, body mass index, body weight, gender and refraction were analyzed statistically. Results: The mean central corneal thickness of all 364 eyes was 534 ± 36 µm. It was both 534 ± 36 µm in the right and in the left eye. For female subjects the mean central corneal thickness was 533 ± 40 µm, for male it was 534 ± 35 µm. There was no statistical proof of influences on the central corneal thickness values from sides, gender, age, height, body mass index (BMI) or refraction. However, there was a significant correlation between body weight and central corneal thickness. The peripheral corneal thickness values were lowest temporal and inferior and greatest in the nasal and superior area. Nasal and superior there was a statistical significant negative correlation between peripheral corneal thickness and age. Conclusions: The central corneal thickness seems to be correlated with the body weight. Anatomical features lead to lower peripheral corneal thickness values in the temporal and inferior than in the nasal and superior area. In the nasal and in the superior area the corneal thickness seems to decrease with age. Further trials are necessary to confirm these findings and to evaluate precision, reproducibilitiy and independence of investigators of the corneal pachymetry with the Pentacam–System. Similar measurements should be also repeated with other pachymetry systems.

Keywords: comparative anatomy • cornea: basic science • aging