title: Central Corneal Thickness and its Associations With Ocular and Systemic Factors in an Urban West African Population.
abstract: To assess the associations of central corneal thickness (CCT) with ocular and systemic factors in a West African population.
  
  
  
  Population-based cross-sectional study.
  
  
  
  Participants aged ≥40 years in the Tema Eye Survey who had clinically normal corneas were included in this study. CCT was determined bilaterally using handheld ultrasound pachymetry. The association between CCT and ocular or systemic factors was analyzed with univariable linear regression. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed for variables significantly associated with CCT in the univariable analysis. Main outcome measures were CCT (μm) and its associations with age, sex, IOP, cup-to-disc ratio (CDR), glaucoma, hypertension, and diabetes.
  
  
  
  A total of 6806 eligible subjects were identified, of whom 5603 (82.3%) participated in the Tema Eye Survey. A total of 4737 participants (84.5% of participants) of West African descent and clinically normal corneas were included. The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) of participants was 51.2 ± 9.7 years and 38.7% were male. The mean ± SD CCT in the population was 533.9 ± 34.0 μm. In the multivariable linear regression analysis, increased CCT was significantly associated with younger age, male sex, and higher IOP (all P < .001). There were no significant associations between CCT and CDR, glaucoma, hypertension, and diabetes.
  
  
  
  This population-based cross-sectional survey of West African adults found a significant association between increased CCT and younger age, male sex, and higher IOP but not glaucoma or CDR. Variations in corneal thickness may influence the accuracy of IOP measurements in African persons.
authors.affiliation: Glaucoma Service and National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, United Kingdom; Department of Ophthalmology, National University Health System, Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chelvin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sng
authors.affiliation: Glaucoma Service and National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, United Kingdom; Department of Epidemiology and Genetics, Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: keith@keithbarton.co.uk.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kaiser Permanente, Woodland Hills, California.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore.
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Donald L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Budenz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044383:Black People / Q000208:ethnology*; D003315:Cornea / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D063171:Corneal Pachymetry; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000208:ethnology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology; D009929:Organ Size; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*