Correlation between refractive errors and intraocular pressure after adjusting by central corneal thickness

Abstract

Background: There is a significant correlation between myopia and intraocular pressure as an increase in the intraocular pressure (IOP) was on a higher side in high and moderate myopias in comparison to emmetropic and low myopic patients indicating higher degrees of myopia as an important risk factor for ocular hypertension. Objective: To investigate the correlation between refractive status and intraocular pressure after adjusting for central corneal thickness. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted in the Ophthalmology Department at Zagazig University Hospitals on patients with refractive errors within 20-40 years with no detectable systemic or ocular pathologies that could affect the outcome of the study. The spherical equivalent of refractive errors ranges in myopia from-1 to-6 and in hypermetropia from +1 to +6. The sample was (50) eyes to be divided into two groups. It was calculated using Open Epi Program with a Confidence level of 95% and power of 80% Results: The mean CCT of the studied myopic group was 544.68 ± 29.62, while among the studied hypermetropic group it was 548.9 ± 32.5, there was no statistically significant difference between both groups regarding central corneal thickness. The mean IOP of the studied myopic group was 17.44 ± 2.41. While among the studied hypermetropic group it was 13.92 ± 1.8, there was a highly statistically significant difference between both groups regarding IOP. Conclusion: There was a statistically significant correlation between intraocular pressure and myopia with intraocular pressure being higher in the moderate myopic patient than in low myopia, thereby increasing the risk of glaucoma in these patients.