PURPOSE. To map the corneal epithelium using a map measuring 9 mm in diameter and view the effects of age, sex, and axial length. Additionally, we wanted to demonstrate the reproducibility of this technique. METHODS.We calculated the epithelial thickness in 220 individuals using an SD-OCT machine with the newly released commercially available algorithm. We included normal eyes with refractive errors between þ5 and À6 diopters (D). We excluded patients with an intraocular pressure of >22 mm Hg, history of cataract, previous ocular surgery, or disease and those with corneal pathology. Additionally, we excluded patients with evidence of systemic disease or pregnancy. Lastly, reproducibility was measured in 50 individuals. RESULTS.We found the center of the corneal epithelium to be thicker than the peripheral in all zones except the nasal (P ¼ 0.124). The superior quadrant was found to be the thinnest while the inferior was the thickest. Males had a thicker epithelium in all locations except the superior outer section (P ¼ 0.123). Three zones had a weak correlation with age: outer superior (P ¼ 0.039, R ¼ À0.152); outer temporal (P ¼ 0.042, R ¼ À0.150); and outer superior temporal (P ¼ 0.011, R ¼ À0.187). There was no significant relationship with the axial length. We found good to excellent reproducibility when using this technique in the central as well as the peripheral cornea.CONCLUSIONS. We provide a comprehensive study in healthy, normal eyes using a novel algorithm to map the corneal epithelium with a wide diameter. This study can be used as a reference for future research.

BackgroundCentral corneal thickness (CCT) can be used to assess the corneal physiological condition as well as the pathological changes associated with ocular diseases. It has an influence on the measurement of intraocular pressure and is being used as a screening tool for refractive surgery candidates. The aim of this study was to determine the median CCT among normal Pakistani population and to correlate CCT with age, sex, and refractive errors.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of 5,171 healthy eyes in 2,598 patients who came to Hashmanis Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. The age of the patients ranged from 6 to 70 years. The refractive error was gauged by an auto-refractometer, and CCT was measured using Oculus Pentacam®.ResultsThe median CCT of our study was 541.0 μm with an interquartile range (IQR) of 44.0 μm. The median age was 26.0 years (IQR: 8.0). Median spherical equivalent (SE) of the patients was −4.3 D (IQR: 3.3) with the median sphere value as −4.0 D (IQR: 3.8). Lastly, the median cylinder was −1.0 D (IQR: 1.3). Age has a weak negative correlation with CCT (r=−0.058) and shows statistical significance (P<0.001). Additionally, males had thinner CCT readings than females (P=0.001). The cylinder values, on the other hand, had a significant (P=0.004) and positive correlation (r=0.154). Three values showed no significant correlation: sphere (P=0.100), SE (P=0.782), and the left or right eye (P=0.151).ConclusionAmong the Pakistani population, CCT was significantly affected by three variables: sex, age, and cylinder. No relationship of CCT was observed with the left or right eye, sphere, and SE.

Background: Duplication of the vas deferens, a rare congenital anomaly of the pelvic anatomy, is often an incidental finding during surgeries involving the spermatic cord, such as inguinal hernia repair, varicocelectomy, orchidopexy, and vasectomy. Case Report: A 25-year-old male presented to our surgical outpatient clinic with bilateral swelling in the inguinal region. A diagnosis of bilateral inguinal hernia was established. While performing spermatic cord dissection during hernioplasty, a duplicated vas deferens was revealed within the left spermatic cord. Doppler ultrasonography confirmed the absence of waveforms in both vasa deferentia, differentiating them from adjacent vessels. The hernia repair was performed without complications. Conclusion: Our case highlights the importance of radiologists' and surgeons' ability to recognize a duplicated vas deferens to avoid possible iatrogenic injury.