[Corneal thickness and intraocular pressure in cases with ocular hypertension and glaucoma].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between central corneal thickness (CCT) and intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with ocular hypertension (OH), normal tension glaucoma (NTG), primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and normal subjects and the importance of CCT in the diagnosis of glaucoma.


METHODS
The CCT was measured in 79 cases with NTG, 61 POAG, 73 OH and 50 normal subjects with an ultrasonic pachymeter. One eye in one subject randomly selected was used for inter-group comparison. The maximum IOP measured by Goldmann applanation tonometer without ocular hypotensive therapy during the follow-up was corrected with CCT by using Ehlers' method.


RESULTS
The CCT of OH subjects (582 +/- 32) microm was significantly thicker than that of other groups (P < 0.001), while no differences were seen in CCT among normal, NTG and POAG groups, the thickness being (552 +/- 36) microm, (548 +/- 33) microm and (550 +/- 33) microm respectively. The corrected maximum pressure was significantly lower than that in the untreated ones in all the groups, and <or= 21 mm Hg in 100%, 97%, 55% and 50% of the eyes in the normal, NTG, OH and POAG subjects, respectively. In the normal subjects, the CCT was positively correlated with the IOP (r = 0.423, P = 0.004).


CONCLUSIONS
There is a large variation in CCT of normal subjects, which is significantly positively correlated with IOP. The CCT is significantly thicker in OH subjects, which should be considered as an important variable in follow-up. No significant differences in CCT are shown among NTG, POAG and normal groups. It is suggested that CCT has little influence on the diagnosis of NTG and POAG.
Wu
L
L
Eye Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital, the University of Zhejiang, School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China.
Suzuki
Y
Y
Araie
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012029:Refraction, Ocular