Reduced corneal thickness values in postmenopausal women with dry eye.
OBJECTIVE
To study and compare the corneal thickness values of postmenopausal women with dry eye and postmenopausal women without dry eye.


METHODS
The corneal thickness value of 30 postmenopausal women with dry eye (dry eye group; aged 52 to 55 years) and 32 postmenopausal women without dry eye (normal group; aged 51 to 55 years) was analyzed with the Orbscan Topography System II. Each woman underwent a tear breakup test, the Schirmer test, fluorescein staining of the cornea, and an analysis of the meibomian gland by slit lamp before corneal thickness measurement. The statistical analysis was performed by means of the unpaired Student t test.


RESULTS
The mean corneal thickness value was significantly decreased in postmenopausal women with dry eye (P < 0.001 at each corneal location). The central cornea had the thinnest mean values in dry eyes and normal eyes (533.10 +/- 4.74 microm and 547.63 +/- 15.11 microm, respectively), whereas superonasal cornea had thicker mean values in both groups (632.43 +/- 6.11 microm and 648.78 +/- 14.98 microm in dry eye and normal eyes, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Postmenopausal women with dry eye have lower corneal thickness values than postmenopausal women without dry eye. Special care must be taken with these reduced corneal thickness values when selecting postmenopausal women for surgery involving corneal photoablation.
Sanchis-Gimeno
Juan A
JA
Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. juan.sanchis@uv.es
Lleó-Pérez
Antonio
A
Alonso
Luis
L
Rahhal
M S
MS
Martínez-Soriano
Francisco
F
D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology*; D019781:Corneal Topography; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008537:Meibomian Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism