Effects of age on corneal deformation by non-contact tonometry integrated with an ultra-high-speed (UHS) Scheimpflug camera.

PURPOSE

To correlate parameters derived from corneal deformation resulting from non-contact tonometry integrated with an ultra-high-speed (UHS) Scheimpflug camera (Oculus Corvis ST, Scheimpflug Technology; Wetzlar, Germany) with age in normal eyes from young patients.

METHODS

Observational, retrospective study involving one eye randomly selected from study participants, totaling 89 healthy eyes. The Scheimpflug images were taken with an ultra-high-speed camera during each measurement by the corvis ST. The deformation amplitude (DA) and other parameters (e.g., pachy apex, intraocular pressure, 1(st) A time, highest concavity-time, 2(nd) A time, 1(st) A Length, 2(nd) A Length, Wing-Dist, curvature radius highest concavity, curvature radius normal, Vin, Vout) measured by the corvis ST were correlated with age. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was applied, and Spearman's correlation test was utilized to evaluate the parameters measured by the Corvis ST and age.

RESULTS

Mean patient age was 27.50 ± 6.30 years. The highest concavity-time was the only studied parameter statistically significantly correlated to age (i.e., p=0.04, rs=0.18). All other corvis parameters were not correlated to age. This included DA (p=0.319), intraocular pressure (p=0.854), pachy apex (p=0.066), 1(st) A time (p=0.959), 2(nd) A time (p=0.561), 1(st) Length (0.552), 2nd Length (p=0.697), Wing-Dist (p=0.769), curvature radius HC (p=0.145), curvature radius normal (p=0.513), Vin (p=0.980) and Vout (p=0.592).

CONCLUSIONS

In healthy eyes, age and pressure or biomechanics as derived from the Corvis ST parameters were not associated with exception to highest concavity-time, i.e., the time from starting until the highest concavity is reached.