title: The intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness in healthy premature infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the normal values of intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT) in healthy premature infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Infants of <32 weeks' gestational age who underwent screened for retinopathy of prematurity were prospectively enrolled. The same ophthalmologist measured IOP by applanation tonometry and CCT using ultrasonic pachymetry. Infants were divided into four groups according to postconceptional ages (PCA). The mean values of the IOP and CCT were compared by nonparametric statistical tests, and the relationship of the PCA with IOP and CCT were analyzed with correlation tests. Only right eye measurements were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 470 infants (mean PCA, 35.94 ± 4.00 weeks) were enrolled. The mean IOP with standard deviation was 16.86 ± 2.93 mm Hg; the mean CCT, 590 ± 58.26 μm. Both IOP and CCT values were found to be significantly higher in infants with lower versus higher PCA (P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant negative linear relationship between the PCA and the values of IOP and CCT, separately.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IOP and CCT values may be higher in infants with lower PCA. Higher IOP values in these infants may be associated with higher CCT values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: erginturk@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Damla Erginturk
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Acar
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Acar
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zuhal Ozen
authors.initials: ZO
authors.lastname: Tunay
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozdemir
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dolgun
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mesut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erdurmus
mesh_terms: D003315:Cornea / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D063171:Corneal Pachymetry; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular