DETERMINING THE CORRELATION BETWEEN CENTRAL CORNEAL THICKNESS AND INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE IN A NORMAL INDIAN POPULATION

BACKGROUNDThe aim of this study was to evaluatethe central corneal thickness over a cross section of a normal population in India and its correlation with intraocular pressure and various epidemiological factors.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe CCT of 300 eyes of 150 normal patients of different age groups, attending the OPD were measured with anterior segment OCT. Intraocular pressure was measured using Goldmann Applanation Tonometry. The CCT was then compared with the patient's age, sex and IOP and its significance calculated.RESULTSThe mean CCT was found to be 531.71 microns (+/-21.72) in RE and 532.62 microns (+/-21.71) in LE. The mean CCT among males was 540.3(+/-22.7) and among females 524.6(+/-17.3), the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The 16-30 age group had the highest mean CCT of 543.2 and the 61-75 age group had the lowest mean CCT of 515.6, the difference of which was significant (p<0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between the normal rage of IOP and CCT with around 0.9mm of Hg increase in IOP for every 10-micron increase in CCT.CONCLUSIONIt was found that in normal subjects who had thicker corneas, IOP was higher as measured by Goldmann Applanation tonometry. The central corneal thickness was seen to vary with various epidemiological parameters as well in normal Indian population. Males were found to have significantly thicker corneas than females and the average CCT decreased significantly with increasing age.