No differences in central corneal thickness between open-angle and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma patients

Marcelo Ayala,1 Johanna Karlsson2 1Eye Department, Skaraborg Hospital, Skövde, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University and Karolinska Institute, 2Faculty of Medicine, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden Introduction: Measurements of intraocular pressure (IOP) with Goldmann applanation tonometry are affected by central corneal thickness (CCT), as thinner corneas underestimate and thicker corneas overestimate the true IOP value. The literature is controversial regarding CCT values in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and exfoliation glaucoma (XFG). The aim of this study was to evaluate CCT in patients with XFG and POAG.Methods: CCT was evaluated with optical coherence tomography (OCT). All participants who were previously diagnosed with either POAG or XFG underwent ophthalmological examinations. Contact lens users and patients with corneal diseases were excluded.Results: Totally, 145 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean CCT was 535±30.4 µm in patients with POAG and was 536±33.7 µm in patients with XFG. The result was not statistically significant (P=0.98). The mean age for all participants was 73.8±7.7 years. The study included totally 61 women and 84 men. The two groups were similar in their demographic data, and mean deviation was the only parameter that differed statistically when comparing POAG with XFG (P=0.02).Conclusion: Our data indicate that patients with XFG do not have thinner corneas than those with POAG, and therefore, CCT can not explain why they progress differently. Keywords: primary open-angle glaucoma, exfoliative glaucoma, central corneal thickness, optical coherence tomography