Central corneal thickness in congenital glaucoma

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare central corneal thickness between eyes with congenital glaucoma and normal fellow eyes in unilateral glaucoma or less affected fellow eyes in bilateral glaucoma. Methods: Eyes of consecutive phakic children with congenital glaucoma and previous glaucoma surgery were examined under chloral hydrate. Complete ophthalmologic examination, central corneal thickness (CCT), axial length, and corneal diameter measurements were performed. Patients were included in the study if presented with intraocular pressure (IOP) less than 21 mm Hg and no biomicroscopic signs of corneal edema. Results: Nine patients were included in the study. The mean CCT in the more affected eye/glaucomatous eye was 522.3 +/- 65.2 mu m and in the less affected eye/healthy eye was 579.7 +/- 44.5 mu m. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0013). Conclusion: CCT was significantly thinner in glaucomatous eyes than in normal fellow eyes in phakic children with congenital glaucoma. This finding may be another confounding factor when measuring IOP in these patients.