Abstract
Purpose :
Corneal hysteresis (CH), described as the cornea’s ability to absorb and dissipate energy, is a risk factor for the development and progression of glaucoma. A prior retrospective study showed diabetic patients as having higher CH values than non-diabetic patients; however, the effect of other systemic diseases that alter tissue compliance on CH has not been investigated. The aim of this pilot prospective study is to compare CH values between subjects stratified by age based on their diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia status.
Methods :
A total of 191 subjects (Average age= 57 ±18 years, 48.2% female , 44% African American, 45.5% Hispanic, 5.8% Caucasian) and 358 eyes were included in this study. Each individual underwent CH measurements by the Ocular Response Analyzer (Reichert Technologies, Depew, NY, USA). Each subject’s diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia statuses were determined from the patient’s medical record. T-tests were used to determine differences in CH values between patients with and without each systemic disease.
Results :
Corneal hysteresis was significantly affected by the presence of systemic conditions in different age groups as shown in the table.
Conclusions :
The findings indicate that CH was significantly different in various age groups with or without diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Physician awareness of these effects are necessary for the interpretation of CH in the context of the aforementioned findings. The effect of systemic conditions on CH should be investigated in other patient populations.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.