Corneal Confocal and Specular Microscopic Characteristics in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: An Optical Coherence...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Science
• Glaucoma Research

Background:

• Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness, involves optic nerve damage and retinal ganglion cell loss.
• Corneal biomechanical properties and cellular components (corneal nerves, keratocytes) are potential glaucoma biomarkers.
• In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) assesses corneal nerve and keratocyte densities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between corneal nerve parameters, keratocyte density, and optical coherence tomography (OCT)-derived retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients.
• To explore potential corneal biomarkers for glaucoma progression.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 17 POAG patients and 18 age-matched controls.
• Ophthalmic evaluation included OCT for RNFL thickness, specular microscopy, and corneal confocal microscopy (CCM).
• Statistical analysis employed Spearman's correlation and linear regression.

Main Results:

• POAG patients exhibited significantly lower anterior stromal keratocyte density (p=0.007) and endothelial cell density (p=0.002) compared to controls.
• Anterior keratocyte density positively correlated with global, superior, and inferior RNFL thickness (p<0.05).
• Glaucoma duration was significantly associated with RNFL thickness (p=0.011).

Conclusions:

• Anterior stromal keratocyte density is positively correlated with RNFL thickness, indicating a potential link between corneal cellular changes and glaucoma severity.
• Lower endothelial cell density in POAG patients may reflect disease impact or medication effects.
• Corneal parameters warrant further investigation for their role in glaucoma pathophysiology and progression.