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Continuous measurement of corneal dehydration with online optical coherence pachymetry
Henning Aurich1, Christopher Wirbelauer, Jan Jaroszewski
1Klinik für Augenheilkunde, Vivantes Klinikum Neukölln, Berlin, Germany.
Purpose:
Online optical coherence pachymetry (online OCP) allows continuous central corneal thickness measurements over time. In this study, the effect of dehydration on corneal tissue was investigated with online OCP.
Methods:
Twelve eyes of 11 patients were examined with online OCP, and the central corneal thickness was registered over 5 minutes after insertion of an eyelid speculum.
Results:
Online OCP measurements revealed no decrease in reproducibility after 5 minutes of dehydration. The initial mean central corneal thickness was 538 +/- 48 microm. After 5 minutes the central corneal thickness decreased to 483 +/- 43 microm (P = 0.001). This corresponded to a mean corneal thinning of 55 +/- 4 microm (10.2%) at a rate of 0.19 microm/s.
Conclusions:
Online OCP was suitable for continuous measurements of corneal changes caused by dehydration. These dehydration effects should be particularly considered in refractive corneal surgery.
