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Decreased central corneal thickness in children with Down syndrome
Cem Evereklioglu1, Kutluhan Yilmaz, Necdet A Bekir
1Gaziantep University, Medical Faculty, Research Hospital, Turkey.
Insights
Children with Down syndrome have thinner corneas than healthy individuals. This finding is crucial for accurate eye pressure measurements and planning vision correction in this population.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Genetics
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Down syndrome is associated with various ocular abnormalities.
- Central corneal thickness (CCT) is a key parameter in ophthalmic assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in central corneal thickness (CCT) in children with Down syndrome compared to healthy controls.
- To evaluate the clinical significance of CCT variations in this population.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional, masked, case-control study involving 28 children with Down syndrome and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy controls.
- Central corneal thickness was measured using ultrasound pachymetry.
- Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test.
Main Results:
- Children with Down syndrome exhibited significantly lower mean CCT (488.39 ± 39.87 µm) compared to healthy controls (536.25 ± 20.70 µm) (P < .001).
- A higher proportion of children with Down syndrome (67.8%) had CCT below 500 µm.
- Mean keratometric values were significantly higher in children with Down syndrome (46.35 ± 1.28 D) versus controls (43.32 ± 1.15 D) (P < .001).
Conclusions:
- Children with Down syndrome present with decreased central corneal thickness.
- Reduced CCT may lead to artificially low intraocular pressure readings, impacting glaucoma screening.
- CCT should be considered in refractive management strategies for children with Down syndrome.
Purpose:
A cross-sectional, masked, case-control study was undertaken to investigate whether central corneal thickness is affected in children with Down syndrome and to focus on its clinical significance.
Participants And Methods:
Twenty-eight children with Down syndrome (15 boys and 13 girls) aged 5 to 15 years and 20 age-matched and gender-matched healthy control subjects (11 boys and 9 girls) from a similar ethnic background were enrolled in the study. Central corneal thickness was measured by ultrasound pachymetry. Only the right eye of each child in each group was included in the statistical analysis. The Mann-Whitney U test was used and a P value of less than .05 was considered significant.
Results:
The mean ages of the children with Down syndrome (9.28 +/- 3.47 years) and the healthy control subjects (8.75 +/- 3.30 years) were comparable (P > .05). Central corneal thickness values were below 500 microm in 19 (67.8%) of the 28 children with Down syndrome, 4 of which were less than 450 microm. However, all central corneal thickness measurements in the control eyes were more than 500 microm. The mean central corneal thickness in the children with Down syndrome was significantly (P < .001) less (488.39 +/- 39.87 microm) than that in the healthy control subjects (536.25 +/- 20.70 microm). Mean keratometric values were significantly (P < .001) higher in the eyes of the children with Down syndrome (46.35 +/- 1.28 D) than in the eyes of the control subjects (43.32 +/- 1.15 D).
Conclusions:
Children with Down syndrome had a decreased central corneal thickness compared with healthy control subjects. Decreased central corneal thickness may give an artificially low intraocular pressure measurement by applanation tonometry. Central corneal thickness must be considered when developing approaches for keratorefractive treatment of patients with Down syndrome.