Distribution of central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure in a large population of Turkish school children.

PURPOSE

To determine the distribution of central corneal thickness (CCT) and intraocular pressure (IOP) in a population of Turkish school children and to evaluate the relationships between these values and both age and gender.

METHODS

A total of 30,320 eyes from 15,160 healthy school children aged 5-18 years were examined. CCT and IOP were measured using an ultrasonic pachymeter and a non-contact tonometer, respectively. Measurements were compared with age, gender, and parental consanguinity of subjects.

RESULTS

The mean age of the school children was 10.43 ± 2.54 years. For right eyes, mean CCT was 557.91 ± 34.26 µm and mean IOP was 14.15 ± 2.87 mmHg. Mean CCT was significantly thicker in males compared to females (P < 0.0001). Mean IOP was significantly higher in females compared to males (P < 0.0001). CCT in children aged 14 years and older was significantly thinner than that in the younger age groups (P < 0.0001). There was a significant difference among the age groups for IOP (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in CCT or IOP related to parental consanguinity (P = 0.538, P = 0.319, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Mean CCT in Turkish school children is of comparable thickness to that in Western school children. CCT reached adult values around 14 years of age in our children. Furthermore, males had thicker CCT than females. IOP was lower in males than females, and increased with age.