Corneal Curvature of the Saudi Population in Relation to Age, Gender, Refractive Errors, and Central Corneal Thickness

Abstract

Corneal curvature (CC) is a crucial ocular optical system parameter, indicating the shape of the cornea expressed in radii. This study aims to investigate the relationship between CC, age, gender, refractive errors, and central corneal thickness (CCT) in Saudi Arabia, a field lacking in research. Data were gathered from Imam Medical Center in Riyadh and Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital in this randomized, hospital-based, retrospective analysis. Patients sent to the refractive surgery clinic for a laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) evaluation provided a total of 1,005 eyes for the study. Patients with stable refractions in all groups and those between the ages of 17 and 57 with no history of systemic illness, eye operations, or ocular pathology were included in the research, as were all groups with stable refractions. An ultrasound pachymeter was used to assess the CC and CCT. This study showed a mean CC of 42.93+/-1.4 at a mean age of 28.93+/-7.09. We found a significant negative, weak correlation between mean CC and CCT. Gender was not significantly associated with CC in myopic and hyperopic patients, while in patients with astigmatism, females were observed to have a significantly higher mean CC compared to males. A significant difference in the mean CC was observed across different refractive errors, and patients with astigmatism had the highest CC, followed by myopic and hyperopic patients.

Keywords: central corneal thickness; cornea; corneal curvature; refractive errors; saudi.

Figure 1. Participants’ refractive errors

Figure 2. Distribution of mean corneal curvature measurement