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Assessment of corneal parameters in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Dilek Özkaya1, Atalay Doğru2, Tuba Baykal3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine, Isparta, Turkey.
Purpose:
To assess the corneal parameters in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
Methods:
We enrolled 64 patients with RA (32 receiving biologic and 32 receiving conventional drugs) and 32 healthy subjects. Keratometric values (anterior flat [K1], steep [K2], and mean keratometry [Km]), corneal thickness from the pupil center (CCT), apex (ACT), and the thinnest point (TCT), and corneal volume (CV) were measured and compared between the groups.
Results:
K1, K2, and Km values were significantly higher in the RA group (P = 0.013, P = 0.048, P = 0.027, respectively). The means of CCT, ACT, TCT, and CV were significantly lower in RA patients (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.011, respectively). When we divided RA patients into two groups according to the treatment and compared them to controls, the differences in K1, CCT, ACT, TCT and CV were significant (P = 0.030, P = 0.005, P = 0.001, P = 0.001, P = 0.034, respectively). K1 and CV values of RA-biologic group were similar to the control group (P = 0.205 and P = 0.127, respectively).
Conclusion:
Biologic agents contribute to the improvement of K1 and CV values in patients with RA.
