Central corneal thickness in a Puerto Rican population

Purpose: To evaluate mean central corneal thickness (CCT) in a Puerto Rican population and to compare our findings with published mean central corneal thicknesses of white, Hispanic, and African American populations in the United States. Patients and Methods: Volunteers at the Centro Medico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, completed a Survey and participated in an eye examination, which included measurement of intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness. Results: Of 588 Puerto Rican participants, the mean CCT was 541 33 pin, which is significantly thinner than the published values for white populations (P < 0.002) and Hispanic populations (P < 0.03), but thicker than the published values for African Americans (P < 0.05). Among ethnic Subgroups in Puerto Rico, no significant differences in the mean CCT were observed. Conclusions: In this Puerto Rican population, the mean observed CCT was thicker than that published for African Americans, but thinner than those for white and other Hispanic populations within the United States.