Distribution of Corneal Volume and Its Associated Factors in an Elderly Population: Tehran Geriatric Eye Study

The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of corneal volume (CV) using Pentacam and its relationship with demographic and ocular factors in an elderly population older than 60 years.

The present report is a part of the Tehran Geriatric Eye Study. The sampling was performed using the multistage stratified random cluster sampling method. The preliminary ocular examinations were performed for all individuals including visual acuity measurement, objective and subjective refraction, and slit-lamp biomicroscopy. Finally, study participants underwent anterior segment imaging and ocular biometry using Pentacam AXL.

The mean CV was 57.92 mm 3 [95% confidence interval (CI): 57.76-58.08] in the whole sample. The mean CV was 57.69 mm 3 (95% CI: 57.52-57.87) after excluding diabetic patients. The mean CV was 57.79 mm 3 (95% CI: 57.57-58.01) and 58.04 mm 3 (95% CI: 57.83-58.26) in men and women, respectively. The mean CV was 57.96 mm 3 (95% CI: 57.71-58.21), 57.84 mm 3 (95% CI: 57.49-58.19), and 57.92 mm 3 (95% CI: 57.7-58.13) in individuals with emmetropia, myopia, and hyperopia, respectively. The CV decreased significantly with advancing age. Moreover, the anterior chamber depth, central corneal thickness, mean keratometry, anterior corneal asphericity (Q value), and posterior corneal astigmatism were significantly directly related to CV, whereas axial length and white-to-white distance had a statistically significant inverse association with the CV.

Aging is one of the important factors in reducing CV that should be considered. Some other topographic and biometric indices also have a significant relationship with CV.