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Age-related changes in central corneal thickness and their association with ocular biometric parameters in children
Qing Yuan1, Yawen Bai1, Zhe Su1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Objective:
To investigate age-related changes in central corneal thickness (CCT) and its relationship with ocular biometric parameters in children.
Methods:
This retrospective study included 393 children (786 eyes) examined using ZEISS IOLMaster 700 to measure CCT, axial length (AL), corneal curvature (Km), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and lens thickness (LT). Associations between CCT and age, sex, refractive status, and these biometric parameters were analyzed. Longitudinal CCT changes over 1 year were assessed in 158 children.
Results:
The cohort comprised 192 males (48.8%) and 201 females (51.2%) with a mean age of 9.5 ± 3.1 years and mean CCT of 551.53 ± 32.93 μm. CCT showed weak but significant positive correlations with age (r = 0.150, p < 0.001), AL (r = 0.121, p = 0.001), and ACD (r = 0.079, p = 0.026), and a negative correlation with Km (r = -0.239, p < 0.001). No significant correlation was found with sex or LT. Myopic eyes had thinner CCT than non-myopic eyes (548.77 ± 34.37 μm vs. 554.20 ± 31.29 μm, p = 0.021), and spherical equivalent was negatively correlated with CCT (r = -0.163, p = 0.003). Longitudinally, CCT increased significantly over 1 year in children aged 3-12 years, with no significant change in those aged 13-17.
Conclusion:
CCT increases with age in children aged 3-12 years and stabilizes after 13 years. Thinner CCT is associated with myopia and steeper corneal curvature, informing pediatric eye assessment, myopia management, and orthokeratology safety.
