Central corneal thickness and vascular risk factors in normal tension glaucoma

• Published in: Acta ophthalmologica Scandinavica 2005-04, Vol.83 (2), p.191-195
• Main Authors: Doyle, Aoife, Bensaid, Ahmed, Lachkar, Yves
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Blood Pressure; Body Weights and Measures; Cornea - pathology; corneal thickness; Female; Glaucoma, Open-Angle - diagnosis; Glaucoma, Open-Angle - physiopathology; Humans; Intraocular Pressure; Male; Middle Aged; normal tension glaucoma; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Vascular Diseases - diagnosis; Vascular Diseases - physiopathology; vascular risk factors
• ISSN: 1395-3907; 1600-0420
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0420.2005.00436.x

. Background:  Normal tension glaucoma (NTG) has been shown to be associated with reduced central corneal thickness (CCT). The association of NTG with vascular risk factors is well documented. It has been postulated that a subset of NTG patients are misclassified due to incorrect intraocular pressure measurements on thin corneas. The aim of this study was to establish whether corneal thickness in NTG differs between patients with vascular risk factors specific to NTG and those without. Methods:  The study comprised a retrospective analysis of 108 eyes of 54 patients with NTG and 54 patients with primary open‐angle glaucoma (POAG). Corneal thickness was measured in all patients. Vascular risk factors were recorded. Patients with NTG were divided into two groups depending on the presence (group A) or absence (group B) of vascular risk factors. Results:  The mean CCT was 549 ± 34 µm in patients with POAG and 528 ± 31 µm in patients with NTG (p = 0.001). Mean CCT was 512 ± 31 µm in group A (n = 13) and 533 ± 31 µm in group B (n = 41) (p = 0.034). A total of 40.9% of those with thin corneas (n = 22) had vascular risk factors versus only 12.5% of those with CCT within the normal range (n = 32) (p