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Age-related changes in corneal parameters in the Turkish population: a Pentacam-based study
Denizcan Özizmirliler1, İsmet Durak2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Nevruz Erez State Hospital, Iğdır, Turkey. denizcanozizmirliler@gmail.com.
Purpose:
To evaluate anterior and posterior corneal surfaces and anterior segment parameters in the Turkish population using Pentacam, and to analyze age-related changes.
Methods:
This retrospective study included healthy participants aged 3-86 years who underwent Pentacam imaging at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine. Participant-level descriptive summaries were based on right-eye measurements, whereas inferential analyses incorporated both eyes using linear mixed-effects models with a participant-level random intercept. Age was evaluated both categorically (3-19, 20-39, 40-59, and ≥ 60 years) and continuously using centered linear and quadratic age terms.
Results:
A total of 1202 eyes of 601 participants (49.1% male, 50.9% female; mean age 35.25 ± 23.02 years) were included. Age-group effects were supported for anterior K2, Kmean, Rflat, Rsteep, Rmean, anterior astigmatism magnitude and asphericity, posterior K1, posterior astigmatism magnitude and asphericity, thinnest corneal point, corneal volume, anterior chamber volume, and anterior chamber depth (nominal p < 0.05). Age effects for anterior K1, posterior K2, posterior Rsteep, and anterior and posterior steep astigmatism axes were laterality-dependent. Continuous-age models demonstrated quadratic trajectories for anterior K1, K2, Kmean, Rflat, Rsteep, Rmean, and anterior asphericity, with approximate turning points between 32 and 46 years. Thinnest corneal point, corneal volume, anterior chamber volume, and anterior chamber depth decreased with increasing age; the age slopes for anterior chamber volume and depth differed by sex.
Conclusions:
Pentacam-derived corneal and anterior segment parameters show non-uniform age-related variation. The most consistent changes involved anterior corneal curvature and shape, corneal and anterior chamber dimensions, whereas several posterior corneal and astigmatic-axis measures were laterality-dependent. These findings support age-aware interpretation of corneal tomography rather than a single uniform aging pattern.
