Central corneal thickness and glaucoma in adult Chinese: the Beijing Eye Study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether glaucoma was related to central corneal thickness (CCT).


METHODS
The Beijing Eye Study 2006 is a population-based study that included 3251 (73.3%) subjects (aged 45+y) out of the 4439 subjects who had participated in the survey in 2001, and who returned for a reexamination. The main outcome measures were central corneal thickness and presence and progression of glaucomatous optic neuropathy.


RESULTS
Measurements of CCT were available for 3100 (95.4%) subjects. CCTs did not vary significantly (P>0.10) between the "optic disk glaucoma" [n=78 (2.5%) subjects; 551+/-32 microm], the "perimetric glaucoma" [n=38 (1.1%) subjects; 550+/-31 microm], and the normal groups (n=3022; 556+/-33 microm). The CCT was not significantly associated with the neuroretinal rim area (P=0.28) or the mean visual-field defect (measured by frequency-doubling perimetry) (P=0.22). In multiple regression analysis, the CCT was significantly associated with male sex, (P<0.001), urban region (P<0.001), and intraocular pressure measurements (P<0.001); whereas it was not significantly (P=0.17) associated with chronic open-angle glaucoma. During follow-ups from 2001 to 2006, 42 subjects, who showed a progression of, or development of glaucomatous abnormalities of the optic nerve head, did not differ significantly (P=0.30) in CCTs from the stable group.


CONCLUSIONS
CCTs might not be markedly different between glaucomatous and normal eyes. The reasons for the discrepancies between the present population-based study and previous hospital-based investigations might be due to the differences in study design and mode of selection of study participants.
Xu
Liang
L
Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Zhang
Haitao
H
Wang
Ya Xing
YX
Jonas
Jost B
JB
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D015812:Glaucoma, Angle-Closure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data