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Corneal densitometry and its correlation with age, pachymetry, corneal curvature, and refraction

International Ophthalmology volume 37, pages 1263–1268 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

To determine normative corneal densitometry values in relation to age, sex, refractive error, corneal thickness, and keratometry, measured using the Oculus Pentacam system.

Methods

Three hundred and thirty-eight healthy subjects (185 men; 153 women) with no corneal disease underwent an exhaustive ocular examination. Corneal densitometry was expressed in standardized grayscale units (GSU).

Results

The mean corneal densitometry over the total area was 16.46 ± 1.85 GSU. The Pearson correlation coefficient for total densitometry was r = 0.542 (p < 0.001). Statistically significant differences were found between men and women for the total area (p = 0.006), with readings of 16.22 ± 1.54 GSU and 16.60 ± 1.83 GSU, respectively. When the cornea was divided into layers of different depths, a significant correlation was found for all layers and age: r = 0.447 (p < 0.001), r = 0.563 (p < 0.001), and r = 0.520 (p < 0.001) for the anterior, central, and posterior layers, respectively. However, when the cornea was divided into concentric annuli starting from the center of the cornea, densitometry was strongly correlated only with age in the 6–10-mm annulus (p < 0.001). Neither mean keratometry nor spherical equivalent was correlated with corneal densitometry in any zone of the cornea (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

This is the first report of normative corneal densitometry values in relation to keratometry, corneal thickness, and spherical equivalent measured with the latest Oculus Pentacam software. Corneal densitometry increases with age, but corneal keratometry and refractive parameters do not affect light scattering in the human cornea.

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Affiliations

  1. Innova Ocular, C/Galileo 104, 28003, Madrid, Spain

    Nuria Garzón, Francisco Poyales, Igor Illarramendi, Javier Mendicute, Óscar Jáñez, Pedro Caro, Alfredo López & Francisco Argüeso

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  1. Nuria Garzón
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  2. Francisco Poyales
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  3. Igor Illarramendi
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  4. Javier Mendicute
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  5. Óscar Jáñez
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  6. Pedro Caro
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  7. Alfredo López
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Correspondence to Nuria Garzón.

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Garzón, N., Poyales, F., Illarramendi, I. et al. Corneal densitometry and its correlation with age, pachymetry, corneal curvature, and refraction. Int Ophthalmol 37, 1263–1268 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-016-0397-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-016-0397-y

Keywords

  • Corneal densitometry
  • Corneal transparency
  • Cornea