Assessment of central corneal thickness and corneal Curvature in pseudoexfoliation patients: a cross sectional Study.

Abstract

Background: The central corneal thickness (CCT) and corneal curvature plays an important role in the accurate measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP), an important factor in the management of glaucoma. In this study comparision of central corneal thickness and corneal curvature among individuals with and without PXF is done to know the precision of IOP readings in PXF patients to aid earlier detection of glaucoma and management.

Methods: 53 pseudoexfoliation (PXF) patients and 53 control patients were enrolled in the study. The CCT, Corneal curvature, intraocular pressure, were measured by OCT, pachymeter, autorefractokeratometer, Schiotz tonometer, respectively. The independent samples t test and paired samples t test was used for the comparisons of the groups.

Results: There was no difference in CCT between PEX and control eyes (P=0.626). The keratometry values, K1 and K2, were significantly different between PXF cases and controls in both the right (OD) and left (OS) eyes. In both the eyes, the mean K1 was significantly lower in PXF patients compared to controls with a( P=0.024). Similarly, K2 in both eyes was lower in PXF cases than in controls with a statistically significant (P=0.005).

Conclusions: This study demonstrates corneas with significantly decreased K1 and K2 values in pseudoexfoliation patients compared to the controls. Flatter corneas underestimate the intraocular pressure. Early recognition of corneal flattening in PXF patients can improve glaucoma risk identification and management. In the present study there is no significant difference noted in central corneal thickness between cases and controls. For the measurement of central corneal thickness, advanced imaging modalities, such as anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) is used in the present study. Integrating these findings into routine ophthalmic practice will enhance diagnostic precision and optimize patient outcomes in PXF-related ocular disorders.