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Age-related differences in corneal epithelial thickness measurements with anterior segment optical coherence tomography

Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology volume 60, pages 357–364 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

To measure corneal epithelial thickness (CET) in healthy adults and to investigate its variation with age by use of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods

A total of 210 healthy individuals were enrolled and divided into four, almost equally sized groups on the basis of age: 18–29 years (group 1), 30–44 years (group 2), 45–59 years (group 3), and 60–80 years (group 4). The CET and total corneal thickness in the central area (diameter 6.0 mm) of each patient were obtained by Fourier-domain OCT, and the regional thickness and topographic variability were compared among the age groups. In addition, the correlations between the CET and age, gender, and refractive status were analyzed using partial correlation tests and multiple regression analysis.

Results

The CET of the central segment (diameter 2 mm) in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 53.74 ± 3.82, 54.48 ± 3.33, 53.89 ± 3.73, and 53.30 ± 3.36 µm, respectively, demonstrating no significant change with age (P = 0.416). In most of the paracentral and all of the midperipheral zones (annuli 2–5 and 5–6 mm from the center, respectively), the CET differed significantly among the four groups. Correlation analysis suggested that the CET is greater in men than in women and that the CET of both the paracentral and the midperipheral zones is inversely correlated with age. Topographic variability was also inversely correlated with age.

Conclusions

The CET became thinner with age in the paracentral and midperipheral zones, while the central CET seems to remain constant. Gender differences should be considered in the assessment of CET.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number: H I 15C2237).

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, 20 Ilsan-ro, Wonju, Gangwon-do, 220-701, Korea

    Bong Jun Kim & Sun Woong Kim

  2. B & VIIT Eye Center, Seoul, Korea

    Ik-Hee Ryu

Authors
  1. Bong Jun Kim
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  2. Ik-Hee Ryu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sun Woong Kim.

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Conflicts of interest

B. J. Kim, None; I. –H. Ryu, None; S. W. Kim, None.

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10384_2016_457_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Distribution of the mean corneal stromal thickness in each age group. The grey sectors indicate no significant difference in regional thickness among the age groups (1-way ANOVA test) (TIFF 5167 kb)

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Kim, B.J., Ryu, IH. & Kim, S.W. Age-related differences in corneal epithelial thickness measurements with anterior segment optical coherence tomography. Jpn J Ophthalmol 60, 357–364 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-016-0457-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-016-0457-x

Keywords

  • Age
  • Anterior OCT
  • Corneal epithelial thickness
  • Corneal thickness
  • Stromal thickness