Abstract
Purpose :
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) allows morphological evaluation in the manner of an invivo biopsy, using properties of coherent light through a spectrophotometry technique. The description of abnormal findings requires a normal informational base from which qualitative and quantitative comparisons can be made. Purpose of the study is to describe the morphology of the conjunctiva of ocularly healthy individuals and to compare the thicknesses of the conjunctiva-tennon complex, by age group in a Mexican population. Therefore, establishing a normative database of morphometry of the conjunctiva by age group.
Methods :
Cross-sectional study of 112 non-consecutive cases using a Cirrus 4000 OCT device (ZEISS) in the anterior segment modality of each quadrant. Measurements were done at 3 mm from the limbus of thickness of the epithelium, stroma, and the full-thickness conjunctiva, using the cube acquisition format and high resolution 5-line scan in 90 and 180 degree orientation. SPSS 25 statistical software was used for data analysis, considering significant p-value ≤ 0.05 as statistically.
Results :
One hundred and twelve participants between 10 and 90 years of age were included; fourteen individuals from each 10-year cohort, of whom half were male and half were female. The mean thickness of the total superior, inferior, temporal and nasal conjunctiva was 245.30± 27.20 µm, 237.85± 25.36 µm, 239.65± 27.39 µm, 241.04± 28.04 µm, respectively. The mean upper, lower, temporal and nasal epithelial thickness was 45.28± 10.48 µm, 47.47± 12.01 µm, 45.25± 11.07 µm, 44.86± 11.59 µm, respectively. The mean superior, inferior, temporal and nasal stromal thickness were 199.5± 24.23 µm, 193.09± 23.81 µm, 194.25± 26.28 µm, 194.52± 27.54 µm, respectively. When comparing the means by cohort, a incremented thickness was evident at a younger age, presenting a significant inverse correlation between thickness and age in all quadrants (upper r= -0.455; lower r= -0.463; temporal r= -0.438; nasal r= -0.475). All such correlation were statistically significant (p< 0.001).
Conclusions :
The conjunctiva is a surgical target and might be affected by many conditions, knowledge of the morphometry of the healthy conjunctiva allows to have a point of comparison in cases where it is modified, either by pathologies or surgical events. This study provides with a normative database in a Mexican population.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.