Research Article
Austin J Clin Ophthalmol. 2020; 7(1): 1110.
Correlation between Corneal Biomechanics and Anterior Segment Parameters in Healthy Saudi Females
Amira Elagamy¹* Rawan Al-Amri² and Mohamed Berika³
¹Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia and Mansoura Ophthalmic Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt
²Optometry and Vision Sciences, Optometry Doctor, Saudi Arabia
³Assistant Professor, Rehabilitation Science Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia and Anatomy Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
*Corresponding author: Amira Elagamy, M.D., Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia and Mansoura Ophthalmic Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt
Received: September 10, 2020; Accepted: October 20, 2020; Published: October 27, 2020
Abstract
Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the correlation between corneal biomechanics measured with ORA and anterior segment parameters evaluated with Oculus Pentacam HR in healthy Saudi females.
Design: This study was a prospective, non-randomized, cross-sectional, observational and quantitative study.
Methods: The study included 129 eyes of 129 healthy Saudi females from King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The mean age was 19.87 ± 1.328 (18–29 years). All subjects underwent a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination including refraction, visual acuity measurement, slit-lamp biomicroscopic examination, IOP measurement with an air puffer tonometer, and funduscopy. In addition, anterior segment parameters were measured with Oculus Pentacam HR. Additionally, corneal biomechanical parameters were measured with ORA (Reichert Ophthalmic Instruments).
Results: In this study, mean (±SD) spherical equivalent (SE) was -1.62±2.15 diopters and mean (±SD) CCT was 552.41±58.90μm. Mean (±SD) CH and CRF were 11.61±1.80 and 11.26±1.99 mm Hg, respectively. Correlation between ORA parameters and the anterior segment parameters using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient for all eyes in this study showed only highly significant positive correlation between CCT and each of CH, CRF, IOP g (r = 0.381, P < 0.0001) (r = 0.395, P < 0.0001) (r = 0.304, P < 0.0001) respectively. On the other hand, no significant association was detected between IOP cc and anterior segment parameters in this study
Conclusion: This work is the first one in Saudi Arabia to evaluate the correlation between corneal biomechanics and anterior segment parameters in healthy Saudi females. This study reported a positive correlation between CCT and each of CH, CRF, IOPg. Mild myopic eyes in this study showed a positive association between ASKV and each of CH and CRF. In addition, the mild myopic eyes demonstrated a positive relation between IOP g and ACV. Future prospective studies including males, different ethnic populations, different age groups with large sample sizes, using different imaging techniques, are recommended.
Keywords: Anterior segment parameters; Corneal biomechanics; Ocular response analyzer
Abbreviations
ORA: Ocular Response Analyzer; CH: Corneal Hysteresis; CRF: Corneal Resistance Factor; IOPg: Goldmann Correlated IOP; IOPcc: Corneal Compensated Intraocular Pressure; CCT: Central Corneal Thickness; TCT: Thinnest Corneal Thickness; Apex CT: Apex Corneal Thickness; CV: Corneal Volume; ACD: Anterior Chamber Depth; ACV: Anterior Chamber Volume; CA: Corneal Astigmatism; ASKV: Anterior Steep Keratometric Value; AFKV: Anterior Flat Keratometric Value; PSKV: Posterior Steep Keratometric Value; PFKV: Posterior Flat Keratometric Value; Mean K: Mean Keratometric Value
Background
The Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) can measure Corneal Hysteresis (CH), Corneal Resistance Factor (CRF), Goldmann correlated IOP (IOPg) and corneal compensated Intraocular Pressure (IOPcc) [1]. Anterior segment parameters such as Central Corneal Thickness (CCT), Thinnest Corneal Thickness (TCT), Apex Corneal Thickness (Apex CT), Corneal Volume (CV), Anterior Chamber Depth (ACD), Anterior Chamber Volume (ACV) and Corneal Astigmatism (CA) can be measured by Pentacam which is a Scheimpflug imaging device [2].
Many studies investigated the correlation between corneal biomechanics and anterior segment parameters in healthy eyes and demonstrated a strong correlation between CH, CRF with CCT [3- 10]. Hwang et al. [7] found that CV was positively correlated with CH, but not CRF. However, Çevik et al. [10] reported positive correlations between CH, CRF, and CV and negative correlations between CH, CRF and both of posterior steep and average posterior values.
Hwang et al. [7] did not show a significant association between CA and all the biomechanical properties. Conversely, Montard et al. [4] reported a negative association between CA with CH and CRF. Therefore, there is still debate regarding evaluation of this relation. Up to our knowledge, the correlation between corneal biomechanics and anterior segment parameters in healthy eyes is never investigated in Saudi Arabia.
The purpose of this study was conducted to evaluate the correlation between corneal biomechanics measured with ORA and anterior segment parameters assessed with Oculus Pentacam HR in healthy Saudi females.
Methods
Study design
This study was a prospective, non-randomized, cross-sectional, observational and quantitative study. This study got the approval of Institutional Review Board (IRB) of College of Applied Medical Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (CAMS 021- 3940, approved date: 21/11/2018). It is adherent to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki 2013. All the participants signed comprehensive consent after explaining all procedures of the study.
Subjects
The study included 129 eyes of 129 healthy Saudi females from College of Applied Medical Sciences (female section) of King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from January to March 2019. This is the place of work of the first and second authors. The mean age was 19.87±1.328 years (18–29 years). The inclusion criteria were bestcorrected visual acuity of 20/20; IOP of 21 mmHg and normal ocular appearance. Exclusion criteria were participants who have a history of intraocular surgery, refractive surgery, and contact lens use within 2 weeks, the presence of corneal abnormalities such as keratoconus, corneal scarring that would preclude accurate ORA and IOP measurements, or a diagnosis of “glaucoma suspect” or glaucoma. Besides, eyes with IOPcc or IOPg of > 21 mmHg were excluded in this study. All subjects underwent a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination including refraction by auto-refractometry (NIDEK ARK-510A), visual acuity measurement, biomicroscopic examination, IOP measurement with an air puff tonometer, and funduscopy. One eye from each participant was selected randomly.
Measurement of corneal biomechanics
Corneal biomechanical parameters were measured with ORA (Reichert Ophthalmic Instruments). First, the patient was instructed to set properly and fixate on the green light, and they were informed that they will only sense a very gentle puff of. The device reported the following parameters that were analyzed: CH, CRF, IOPg, and corneal IOPcc for each patient. The ORA examination was performed at least 3 times. The average values of three measurements were recorded for analysis.
Measurement of anterior segment parameters
Anterior segment parameters were measured with Oculus Pentacam HR without application of any eye drops. CCT, CV, ACD, ACV, CA, Anterior Steep Keratometric Value (ASKV), Anterior Flat Keratometric Value (AFKV), Posterior Steep Keratometric Value (PSKV), Posterior Flat Keratometric Value (PFKV), Mean Keratometric Value (Mean K) within 3 mm distance from the apex were measured.
Statistical analysis
All data was analyzed using a Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, II, USA). Quantitative variables were reported as mean±standard deviation (±SD) and range. Associations between corneal biomechanical parameters and anterior segment parameters were analyzed by Pearson’s Correlation coefficients. P < 0.05 was considered a statistically significant.
Results
This study included 129 eyes of 129 healthy Saudi females ranging in age from 18–29 years. 14 eyes (10.8%) (emmetropes from -0.50 to +0.50), 63 eyes (48.8%) (mild myopes from -0.75 to -3D), 29 eyes (22.4%) (moderate myopes from -3.25 to -6.00 D), 5 eyes (3.8%) (severe myopes greater than -6.00 D), 14 eyes (10.8%) (mild hyperopes ≤+2.00D), and 4 eyes (3.1%) (moderate hyperopes from +2.25 to +5.00D) were enrolled in this study.
In this study, mean (±SD) Spherical Equivalent (SE) was -1.62±2.15 diopters and mean (±SD) CCT was 552.41± 58.90μm. Mean (±SD) CH and CRF were 11.61±1.80 and 11.26±1.99mm Hg, respectively. Participant demographic data, anterior segment parameters and ORA parameters of all eyes are shown in Table 1.
TABLECREATED
Table 1: Participant demographic data, anterior segment parameter and ORA parameters of all eyes (N=129 eyes).
Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient for all eyes (129 eyes) and for mild myopic eyes only (63 eyes) detected no significant association between corneal biomechanics and both age and SE (Tables 2&3). Correlation between ORA parameters and the anterior segment parameters for all eyes in this study showed only highly significant positive correlation between CCT and each of CH, CRF, IOP g (r = 0.381, P < 0.0001) (r = 0.395, P < 0.0001) (r = 0.304, P < 0.0001) respectively. On the other hand, no significant association was detected between IOP cc and anterior segment parameters in this study (Tables 4-7) (Figures 1-3).
Figure 1: Correlation between corneal hysteresis (CH) and central corneal
thickness (CCT) for all eyes.
Figure 2: Correlation between corneal resistance factor (CRF) and central
corneal thickness (CCT) for all eyes.
Figure 3: Correlation between Goldmann correlated IOP (IOPg) and central
corneal thickness (CCT) for all eyes.
TABLECREATED
Table 2: Correlation between corneal biomechanics and both age & spherical equivalent in all eyes.
TABLECREATED
Table 3: Correlation between corneal biomechanics and both age & spherical equivalent in mild myopic eyes.
TABLECREATED
Table 4: Correlation between CH and anterior segment parameters for all eyes.
TABLECREATED
Table 5: Correlation between CRF and anterior segment parameter for all eyes.
TABLECREATED
Table 6: Correlation between IOP g and anterior segment parameters for all eyes.
TABLECREATED
Table 7: Correlation between IOP cc and anterior segment parameters for all eyes.
Correlation between ORA parameters and the anterior segment parameters for mild myopic eyes (63 eyes) in this study found a significant positive correlation between CH and both CCT & ASKV (r = 0.403, P = 0.001) (r =0.302, P = 0.016) respectively. In addition, a significant positive correlation was demonstrated between CRF and both CCT & ASKV (r = 0.381, P = 0.002) (r =0.279, P = 0.027) respectively. Furthermore, the current study detected a significant positive correlation between IOP g and both CCT & ACV (r = 0.321, P = 0.010) (r =0.335, P = 0.007) respectively. On the other hand, no significant association was detected between IOP cc and the anterior segment parameters (Tables 8-11).
TABLECREATED
Table 8: Correlation between CH and anterior segment parameters in mild myopic eyes.
TABLECREATED
Table 9: Correlation between CRF and anterior segment parameters in mild myopic eyes.
TABLECREATED
Table 10: Correlation between IOP g and anterior segment parameters in mild myopic eyes.
TABLECREATED
Table 11: Correlation between IOP cc and anterior segment parameters in mild myopic eyes.
Discussion
This study aimed to assess the correlation between corneal biomechanics and anterior segment parameters in healthy Saudi females. This study demonstrated a significant positive correlation between CCT and each of CH, CRF, IOPg. This finding matched with many studies [3-10] which documented a strong correlation between CCT and each of CH, CRF. However, no significant association between CV and all corneal biomechanical properties was reported in our study. This result disagreed with Çevik et al. [10] who reported positive correlations between CV and each of CH, CRF, and Hwang et al. [7] who found a significant positive correlation between CV and CH, but not CRF. Our study did not demonstrate a significant association between CA and all the biomechanical properties. This result agreed with Hwang et al study [7]. On the other hand, Montard et al. [4] reported a negative association between CA and each of CH and CRF.
Concerning correlation between ORA parameters and keratometric values for all eyes (129 eyes): the present study showed no association, which was in agreement with Kamiya et al. [11] who reported no correlation between mean K value and CH and CRF in patients with a mean age of 39 years. On the other hand, the association between ORA parameters and keratometric values for mild myopic eyes (63 eyes) in this study found a significant positive correlation between ASKV and each of CH and CRF. Çevik et al. [10] reported a negative correlation between CH, CRF with both posterior steep and average posterior K values. Furthermore, many studies [7-9], [12-16] reported an association between mean k and CH only. Additionally, Lim et al. [6] and Bueno-Gimeno et al. [8] found a significant relationship between lower CH and CRF values with flatter corneal curvature in children. Moreover, Narayanaswamy et al. [17] confirmed a significant negative association between CH and CRF and corneal radius of curvature. Narayanaswamy et al. [17] documented that lower CH and CRF were associated with flatter corneas in 1136 Chinese patients (mean age 55 years).
CH and CRF in the current study showed no significant association with ACD and ACV in all eyes which agreed with Hwang et al. [7] However, this finding was not in agreement with Çevik et al. [10] who reported positive associations between ACD and CRF and Chang et al. [12] who confirmed a significant association between ACD measured by the IOLMaster and CH only not CRF. On the other hand, mild myopic eyes (63 eyes) in our study showed a highly significant positive correlation between IOP g and ACV. This result matched with Cui et al. [18] who detected a significant association between ACV and a lower Deformation Altitude (DA), higher Stiffness Parameter (SP-A1), and higher biomechanical Intraocular Pressure (bIOP). Cui et al. [18] study used corneal visualization Scheimpflug technology (Corvis ST; Oculus Inc., Wetzlar, Germany), to measure the corneal biomechanics. This technology uses an additional highspeed Scheimpflug camera to identify changes in corneal shape.
Our study found no association between corneal biomechanics and age in adult Saudi females. This result matched with Lim et al. [6] Kamiya et al. [11] Chang et al. [12] and Buey et al. [19]. However, this finding disagreed with Çevik et al. [10] and Narayanaswamy et al. [17] who reported a significant negative association between age and each of CH and CRF.
As regards the relation between the corneal biomechanics and SE, the current study did not show any significant relation which matched with Lim et al. [6] and Kamiya et al. [11]. On the other hand, this finding disagreed with Buey et al. [19] who showed a very weak, but significant, correlation between CH and refractive error. Jiang et al. [20] documented a positive correlation between refraction and each of CH and CRF but a negative correlation to each of IOP and IOPcc. Jiang et al. [20] concluded that the mechanical strength in the anterior segment of the high myopic eyes may be compromised which increases the risk of glaucoma.
The limitations of this study are a small sample size, restricted age range and only females were included.
Conclusion
This work is the first one in Saudi Arabia to evaluate the correlation between corneal biomechanics and anterior segment parameters in healthy Saudi females. This study reported a positive correlation between CCT and each of CH, CRF, IOPg. Mild myopic eyes in this study showed a positive association between ASKV and each of CH and CRF. In addition, the mild myopic eyes demonstrated a positive relation between IOPg and ACV. Future prospective studies including males, different ethnic populations, different age groups with large sample sizes, using different imaging techniques, are recommended.
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