Evaluation of Cornea and Anterior Chamber with Pentacam in Scleroderma Cases

• Main Authors: Melis Palamar, Arzu Seyhan Karatepe, Sait Eğrilmez, Ayfle Yağcı
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Galenos Yayinevi 2011-08-01
• Series: Türk Oftalmoloji Dergisi
• Subjects: Anterior segment; cornea; keratometry; pentacam; scleroderma
• Online Access: http://www.oftalmoloji.org/article_1368/Evaluation-Of-Cornea-And-Anterior-Chamber-With-Pentacam-In-Scleroderma-Cases
• ISSN: 1300-0659; 2147-2661

Purpose: To evaluate the anterior segment structures with Pentacam in scleroderma patients. Materials and Methods: The 34 eyes (study group) of 17 scleroderma patients who attended our clinic were compared with 40 eyes (control group) of age-matched 20 healthy individuals. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and intraocular pressure of all cases were measured, and anterior and posterior segment examinations were performed. The central corneal thickness, anterior chamber volume, anterior chamber depth, anterior and posterior elevation maps of all cases were evaluated with Pentacam. Parametric values were compared with independent t-test; non-parametric values were calculated with Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The mean age was 51.63±10.74 (range, 28-72) years in the study group (1 male, 16 female) and 51.42±6.74 (range, 40-66) years in the control group (4 male, 16 female). The corneas of the study group were found to be more refractive: the mean K values of the study and the control groups were 44.38±1.38 and 43.47±1.26 D, respectively, p=0.004. The BCVA in the study group was statistically lower than that in the control group (mean BCVA of the study and the control groups: 0.953±0.0915 and 0.992±0.0408, respectively, p=0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding anterior chamber depth, anterior chamber volume and anterior chamber angle. No difference was found in central corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, spherical equivalent, anterior and posterior elevation maps among the two groups. Conclusion: Scleroderma is a systemic disease that might lead to alterations in corneal biomechanics and refractivity, and these issues need to be investigated with more advanced studies. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2011; 41: 221-4)