Corneal thickne and curvature in normal-tenion glaucoma Original Reearch Article

Purpoe To determine whether normal-tenion glaucoma, defined a a condition in which glaucomatou optic nerve and viual field change exit without documentation of intraocular preure greater than 21 mm Hg or other apparent caue for thee change, i overdiagnoed in patient with decreaed central corneal thickne and curvature. Method Twenty-one patient with normaltenion glaucoma were compared with 25 patient with primary open-angle glaucoma and 27 agematched healthy ubject. Corneal thickne wa determined by ultraonic pachymetry. Corneal curvature wa determined uing a keratometer. Eye with corneal pathology or previou intraocular urgery were excluded. Reult Mean corneal thickne ± D in 21 eye of 21 patient with normal-tenion glaucoma wa 0.521 ± 0.037 mm, ignificantly (P =.0028) lower than in 25 eye of 25 patient with primary open-angle glaucoma (0.556 ± 0.035 mm) and 27 eye of 27 healthy ubject (0.555 ± 0.034). Mean corneal curvature in the three group wa not appreciably different: 43.90 ± 1.81 diopter, 43.66 ± 1.68 diopter, and 44.36 ± 1.13 diopter in the patient with normal-tenion glaucoma and primary open-angle glaucoma and the healthy ubject, repectively. Concluion Corneal thickne i ignificantly reduced in patient with normal-tenion glaucoma compared with patient with primary open-angle glaucoma (P =.0028) and normal ubject (P =.0037). Thi may lead to underetimation of intraocular preure and midiagnoi in ome of thee patient. Corneal curvature wa imilar in patient with normal-tenion glaucoma and primary open-angle glaucoma and in healthy ubject.