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Study poses new questions on validity of CCT as parameter for refractive surgery
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 Sihem Lazreg |
PARIS — A recent study on the biomechanics of thin corneas in a North African population proposes interesting questions on the validity of current selection parameters for refractive surgery.
"In a study presented at this meeting last year, we found that a high percentage of North African inhabitants would be classified as having thin corneas, according to the classic 500 µm parameter," Sihem Lazreg, MD, said at the meeting of the French Society of Ophthalmology here.
These findings raised an obvious question: Should thin corneas be excluded from refractive surgery?
"[Reichert Ocular Response Analyzer] measurements showed that elasticity (corneal hysteresis) and resistance (corneal resistance factor) are comparable to those of 'normal' European corneas and better than those of thin 550 µm corneas in the European group," Dr. Lazreg said.
New questions have come from these findings, Dr. Lazreg said. Among them: Is central corneal thickness a valid parameter to select patients for refractive surgery? If ORA measurements are not proportional to CCT, is the ORA a sufficient and reliable method to measure corneal solidity? Finally, instead of the entire cornea, could elasticity and resistance be related to only the anterior part of the cornea, up to Bowman's layer?
- Disclosure: Dr. Lazreg has no direct financial interest in the products discussed in this article, nor is she a paid consultant for any companies mentioned.