Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: The object of this study was to assess the influence of corneal thickness on tonometric measurements of normal subjects and patients affected by ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods: The study involved 165 eyes of 165 subjects with normal intraocular pressure (IOP) (73 males, 92 females with a mean age of 68.9 + 13.3 ) and 35 eyes of 35 patients (16 males, 19 females with a mean age of 56.7 + 10.5) with OHT. Only one eye was considered in each subject. Central corneal thickness and IOP were measured by a single observer using an ultrasonic pachymeter (DGH 2000), and a Goldmann tonometer. Linear regression analysis was employed to correlate corneal thickness and IOP. Results: Mean IOP was 15.95 + 2.90 in normal eyes and 21.94 + 1.027 in OHT eyes. Mean CCT was 559.014+ 31.83 in the clinically normal eyes, and 581+ 33.84 in the OHT eyes. A statistically significant correlation was found between corneal thickness and both IOP measurements in each group ( r=0.3379 p<0.001for normal eyes and r=0.3933, p=0.0194 for OHT eyes) . Conclusion: Corneal rigidity changes in thicker corneas and this seems to produce tonometric readings which are higher than warranted. Corneal pachimetry is a quick, non invasive examination and provides useful indications on the management of patients with borderline IOP.
Keywords: 444 intraocular pressure • 369 cornea: clinical science