Central Corneal Thickness in Adult Non-Glaucomatous Blacks in South-Western Nigeria: a Hospital-Based Study

Authors

  • Caroline Adeoti Department of Ophthalmology, Osun Sate University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria.
  • Olubusayo Adejumo Department of Ophthalmology, Osun Sate University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71637/tnhj.v25i1.1004

Keywords:

Central corneal thickness, non-glaucomatous blacks, Osogbo, South-western Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Central corneal thickness is an important measurement in glaucoma management, corneal refractive surgery and monitoring of corneal pathologies. It varies from place to place, even in the same country and race to race. There is a need to determine the peculiar central corneal thickness of blacks in different parts of the country.

Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study between January 2023 and July 2024 and included all consecutive adult non-glaucomatous patients aged 18 years and above with no systemic disease, corneal pathology, previous corneal surgery, or ocular trauma. Information obtained included age, sex, history of systemic disease, eye trauma, previous eye disease or surgery. They all had a comprehensive eye examination. Ultrasonic pachymetry was performed using PacScan digital biometry model 300AP plus with a composite probe.

Results: Three hundred and sixty-eight eyes of 184 participants were included in the study. The mean age was 58.9 years (SD±13.9) and a male:female ratio of 1.5:1. The mean CCT (± SD) was 525.0μm (±33.0) (males 528.8μm (± 39.0) and females 519.0 μm (±23.0). Majority, 254(69%) had thin cornea (less than 535μm) while 50(13.6%), 52 (14.1%), 12 (3.3%) had normal (CCT 535 -560μm), thick (CCT 561 -600μm) and very thick (CCT greater than 600μm) cornea respectively. There was a statistically significant association between CCT, age (P=0.012) and sex (P=0.001).  

Conclusion: The study has shown that the majority of blacks in our environment have thin cornea. Practitioners must always remember this in glaucoma workups. 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
         Abtract Views | PDF Download | EPUB Download: 31 / 13 / 4

References

1. Sridhar MS. Anatomy of cornea and ocular surface. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2018 Feb; 66(2):190-194.

2. Baboolal SO, Smit DP. South African Eye Study (SAES): ethnic differences in central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure. Eye (Lond). 2018 Apr;32(4):749-756.

3. López-Miguel A, Correa-Pérez ME, Miranda-Anta S, Iglesias-Cortiñas D, Coco-Martín MB, Maldonado MJ et al.) Comparison of central corneal thickness using optical low-coherence reflectometry and spectral domain optical coherence tomography. J. Cataract Refract. Surg. 2012; 38:758–764.

4. Mercieca K, Odogu V, Fiebai B, Arowolo O, Chukwuka F. Comparing central corneal thickness in a Sub-Sahara cohort to African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. Cornea 2007; 26: 557-560.

5. Oladigbolu K, Abdullahi H, Abdulsalam H, Gana O, Kadala N, Pam V. Central corneal thickness measurement of non-glaucomatous adults in Ahmadu Bello University Sick Bay, Samaru, Zaria. Sub-Saharan Afr. J. Med 2018; 5: 69-73.

6. Murray Fingeret. Classify corneas simply as average, thin or thick. Primary Care Optometry News. Available online at: https://unclewarlord.tumblr.com/post/185387066086/classify-corneas-simply-as-average-thin-or-thick. Checked 23rd November, 2023.

7. Price FW Jr, Koller DL, Price MO. Central corneal pachymetry in patients undergoing laser in situ keratomileusis. Ophthalmology 1999; 106:2216-20.

8. Javaloy J, Vidal MT, Villada JR, Artola A, Alio J. Comparison of four corneal pachymetry techniques in corneal refractive surgery. J Refract Surg. 2004; 20:29-34.

9. Galgauskas, S., Juodkaite, G., & Tutkuvienė, J. Age-related changes in central corneal thickness in normal eyes among the adult Lithuanian population. Clinical interventions in aging. 2014; 9: 1145–1151.

10. Toh, T. Y., Liew, S. M., MacKinnon, J. R., Hewitt, A. W., Poulsen, J. L., Spector, T. D., ... & Mackey, D. A. Central corneal thickness is highly heritable: the twin eye studies. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science. 2005; 46(10): 3718-3722.

11. Landers, J. A., Hewitt, A. W., Dimasi, D. P., Charlesworth, J. C., Straga, T., Mills, R. A., et. al. Heritability of central corneal thickness in nuclear families. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science. 2009; 50(9): 4087–4090.

12. Pan, C. W., Li, J., Zhong, H., Shen, W., Niu, Z., Yuan, Y., & Chen, Q. (2015). Ethnic Variations in Central Corneal Thickness in a Rural Population in China: The Yunnan Minority Eye Studies. PloS one. 10(8): e0135913.

13. Eghosasere Iyamu, Kio F, Idu FK, Osedeme B. The relationship between central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure in adult Nigerians without glaucoma. Sierra Leone J Biomed Res. 2010; 2:95-102.

14. Eghosasere Iyamu, Joy Edoghogho Iyamu, Gabriel Amadasun. Central corneal thickness and axial length in an adult Nigerian population. Journal of Optometry. 2013; 6: 154-160.

15. Aghaian, E., Choe, J. E., Lin, S., & Stamper, R. L. Central corneal thickness of Caucasians, Chinese, Hispanics, Filipinos, African Americans, and Japanese in a glaucoma clinic. Ophthalmology. 2004; 111(12), 2211-2219.

16. Nwamalubia N. Nzelu-Egwuonwu. Central Corneal Thickness in Nigerians: A Population- Based Study in Lagos state. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 2012; 53: 5044.

17. Mbatuegwu A I,Achigbu EO,Mbategwu C. U, Nkwogu F. U, Omoti A. E. Exploring the relationship between central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure among Nonglaucoma patients in a general Ophthalmology clinic, SouthEast Nigeria, NJO. 2021; 29(1): 17-21.

18. Eballe OA, Koki G, Ellong A, Owono D, Epee E, Bella L A, et al. Central corneal thickness and intra ocular pressure in Cameroonians non-glaucomatous population. Clin Ophthalmol. 2009; 4:717-724.

19. Solomon OD. Corneal indentation during ultrasonic pachymetry. Cornea.1999; 18:214-5.

20. Sedaghat MR, Daneshvar R, Kargozar A, Derakhshan A, Daraei M. Comparison of central corneal thickness measurement using ultrasonic pachymetry, rotating Scheimpflug camera, and scanning-slit topography. Am. J. Ophthalmol. 2010; 150:780–789.

21. Swartz T, Marten L, Wang M. Measuring the cornea: the latest developments in corneal topography. Curr. Opin.Ophthalmol. 2007; 18:325–333.

22. Muhammad Ijaz Ahmad, Manzoor Ahmad Qureshi, Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad, Yousef Homood Aldebasi. Comparison of central corneal thickness measurements by pentacam and ultrasound pachymetry, in myopic and keratoconus eyes. Professional Med. J. 2018;25(2):252-260.

23. Osun state - Population trends and demographics - City facts. Available at https://www.city facts.com/osun/population. Accessed on 29th August, 2024.

24. Gordon MO, Beiser JA, Brandt JD, Heuer DK, Higginbotham EJ, Johnson CA, et al. The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study —Baseline factors that predict the onset of primary open-angle glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol. 2002; 120:714–20.

25. Belovay, G.W., Goldberg, I. The thick and thin of the central corneal thickness in glaucoma. Eye. 2018; 32, 915–923.

26. Ng WS, Agarwal PK, Sidiki S, et al. The effect of socio-economic deprivation on severity of glaucoma at presentation. Br. J.

Ophthalmol. 2010; 94:85e7.

27. Hahn S, Azen S, Ying-Lai M, Varma R, Los Angeles Latino Eye Study G. Central corneal thickness in Latinos. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2003; 44:1508–12.

28. Elflein HM, Pfeiffer N, Hoffmann EM, Hoehn R, Kottler U, Lorenz K, et al. Correlations between central corneal thickness and general anthropometric characteristics and cardiovascular parameters in a large European cohort from the Gutenberg Health Study. Cornea. 2014; 33:359–65.

29. Xu L, Zhang H, Wang YX, Jonas JB. Central corneal thickness and glaucoma in adult Chinese. The Beijing Eye Study. J Glaucoma. 2008; 17:647–53.

30. Brandt JD, Beiser JA, Kass MA, Gordon MO. Central corneal thickness in the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS). Ophthalmology. 2001; 108:1779–88.

31. Lee ES, Kim CY, Ha SJ, Seong GJ, Hong YJ. Central corneal thickness of Korean patients with glaucoma. Ophthalmology. 2007; 114:927–30.

32. Suzuki S, Suzuki Y, Iwase A, Araie M. Corneal thickness in an ophthalmologically normal Japanese population. Ophthalmology. 2005; 112:1327–36.

33. Sng C, Barton K, Kim H, Yuan S, Budenz DL. Central corneal thickness and its associations with ocular and systemic factors in an urban West African population. Am J Ophthalmol. 2016; 169:268–75.

34. Wolfs RC, Klaver CC, Vingerling JR, Grobbee DE, Hofman A, de Jong PT. Distribution of central corneal thickness and its association with intraocular pressure: the Rotterdam Study. Am J Ophthalmol. 1997; 123:767–72.

35. Shimmyo M, Ross AJ, Moy A, Mostafavi R. Intraocular pressure, Goldmann applanation tension, corneal thickness, and corneal curvature in Caucasians, Asians, Hispanics, and African Americans. Am J Ophthalmol. 2003; 136:603–13.

Downloads

Published

2025-04-01

Issue

Section

Original Articles

How to Cite

Central Corneal Thickness in Adult Non-Glaucomatous Blacks in South-Western Nigeria: a Hospital-Based Study. (2025). The Nigerian Health Journal, 25(1), 408-414. https://doi.org/10.71637/tnhj.v25i1.1004

Similar Articles

1-10 of 465

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.