[Use of corneal pachymetry in ocular hypertension and chronic glaucoma]

Among the numerous corneal variables that may influence the determination of the "true" intraocular pressure (IOP) from applanation tonometry measurements and considering the still non conclusive scientific data on all the different aspects of this topic, the measurement of the central corneal thickness (CCT) may be an interesting diagnosis tool in hypertensive and glaucomatous patients. As far as the physiologic variability of the corneal thickness is considered, the measurement of CCT can potentially become an important confounding variable when measuring applanation tonometry in patients with ocular hypertension. It could also improve the management of patients with normal tension glaucoma and patients with suspicious optic discs. In these three groups, the measurement of CCT may be useful in determining if there is an artefactual error in the IOP measurement due to a thicker (too high) cornea or thinner (too low) cornea. Therefore the IOP corrected by CCT may change or influence a decision to initiate or modify treatment. CCT measurement has also proved to be crucial in patients who have undergone laser refractive surgery.