Pakhymetric indexes and intraocular pressure (IOP) level of healthy people and patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG)

    Abstract

    Pakhymetric indexes and intraocular pressure (IOP) level of healthy people and patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG)

    Litvin I.B., Alekseev V.N., Khokkanen V.M., Shibitova I.A.

    International Medical Centre «SOGAZ», St. Petersburg;
State Budgetary Education Institution of Higher Professional Education “North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov”, St. Petersburg

    

    IOP is the most significant risk factor of glaucoma neuropathy development. For the last few years ophthalmologists pay attention to the central corneal thickness, as the source of significant inaccuracy of IOP measurement.

    Purpose. To study the interrelation between central corneal thickness and IOP level of healthy people and patients with POAG with the aim to improve early diagnostics and monitoring.

    Material and methods. 291 people (509 eyes) were under observation. They were divided into 2 groups: I group - 100 healthy people (200 eyes); II group - 191 patients (309 eyes) with POAG (P°≤20 mm Hg). All patients, apart from ordinary ophthalmologic methods of study, were subject to corneal thickness measurement.

    Results. In the controlled group they found a correlation between corneal thickness and IOP level. When corneal thickness is less than 500 micrometers, the medium level of IOP amounts 15.0±2.23 mm Hg, whereas when corneal thickness is more than 650 micrometers, the medium level of IOP amounts 21.1±3.72 mm Hg. During our investigation we found a correlation between glaucoma process course and corneal thickness in the group of POAG patients. The frequency of severe and terminal stages of glaucoma was much higher in respect to the patients with corneal thickness less than 500 micrometers, compared to the patients with bigger IOP indexes.

    Key words: glaucoma, cornea, thickness, intraocular pressure.