Comparison of central corneal thickness measurements obtained by community optometrists to those obtained in secondary care

Abstract

There was good overall agreement between CCT measured by community optometrists and measurements obtained in the glaucoma clinic. The tendency for thicker CCT measurements by community optometrists may be due to more peripheral or non-perpendicular positioning of the pachymeter relative to the cornea.

Comparison of central corneal thickness measurements obtained by OrbscanIIz® and ultrasound pachymetry

“…[ 4 ] To avoid these problems, numerous devices have been developed recently that can measure, among other parameters, central corneal thickness by means of noninvasive techniques and which are based on principles of physics other than ultrasound. [ 1 ] Nevertheless, the studies published to date have not clarified whether the results obtained from these different devices are interchangeable in the usual clinical practice,[ 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 ] and very few studies in our environment compare their concordance using Bland–Altman plots, the most correct statistical tool available to assess it.…”

“…[ 1 2 3 4 5 ] In addition, central corneal thickness is a known significant risk factor for the progression from ocular hypertension to glaucoma. It is well established that a thinner central corneal thickness is related to a more severe glaucomatous defect,[ 1 2 3 4 5 6 ] and that this characteristic constitutes an independent risk factor for the development of primary open-angle glaucoma. [ 4 ] For these reasons, in the usual clinical practice, it is essential that reliable measurement values of central corneal thickness be obtained for this type of patient.…”