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Patients with systemic sclerosis may not show increased corneal thickness

Cornea. 2011;30(10):1125-1128

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Central corneal thickness measurements in patients with systemic sclerosis may not differ significantly from those of healthy patients, contrary to prior hypothesis, a study found.

"Because [systemic sclerosis] is characterized by increased deposition of collagen and other connective tissue components in the skin and internal organs, and because collagen fibers are major structural components of corneal stroma, it has been suggested that patients with [systemic sclerosis] have increased corneal thickness," the authors wrote.

Thirty-seven consecutive patients with systemic sclerosis and 23 controls of similar age and sex had their central corneal thickness measured using ultrasound pachymetry.

Mean thickness did not differ significantly between the systemic sclerosis group and the control group in the right and left eyes. However, extent of skin sclerosis was a useful marker of severity and prognosis, and the study authors emphasized that, in future analyses, central corneal thickness should be evaluated in subgroups for which advancement of thickness might differ.