Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To compare confocal microscopy-derived corneal thickness measurements in normal eyes with standard ultrasound pachymetry. Methods: Ten normal eyes of five patients underwent measurement of central corneal thickness with the DGH 5100 ultrasound pachymeter. These eyes were then analyzed with the ConfoScan3 confocal microscope. Pachymetry was derived by averaging the distance between the first endothelial image and the last epithelial image over multiple passes. Results: The Confoscan3-derived pachymetry averaged 22 microns (4%) thinner than ultrasound pachymetry, with a standard deviation of 29 microns. Conclusions: The confocal biomicroscope presents another option for measuring corneal thickness. Our study demonstrates that ConfoScan3-derived pachymetry is, on average, slightly thinner than that of the DGH 5100 ultrasound pachymeter. In the absence of a standard of reference, either technology may more accurately measure corneal thickness.
Keywords: microscopy: confocal/tunneling • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, S • cornea: basic science