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No correlation between central corneal thickness and IOP in blacks, study finds
STONY BROOK, N.Y. — A large-scale study has failed to correlate central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure in a black population. In the Barbados Eye Studies, black participants tended to have thinner corneas than their white counterparts, study authors noted.
Barbara Nemesure, PhD, and others here with Stony Brook University analyzed data from the Barbados Eye Studies, a population-based cohort study. Analysis was based on all data from all eyes; participants received a standard examination that included pachymetry, applanation tonometry and a comprehensive ophthalmic evaluation.
Among the 1,142 participants, the mean age was 64 years and 58% were women. Black participants tended to have thinner corneas than those who were white or of mixed backgrounds. Among the black participants, increasing values of central corneal thickness were significantly related to a younger age, a history of diabetes and refractive error. A clinical diagnosis of glaucoma was marginally associated with thinner corneas, but IOP was not associated with central corneal thickness in this population.
The study is published in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.