Evaluation of the Anterior Segment Parameters of the Patients with Scleroderma

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To evaluate corneal parameters of scleroderma (SC) patients by Pentacam-HR.

Methods: Twenty-two eyes of 22 SC patients and 33 eyes of 33 control subjects were enrolled. All participants underwent Pentacam (Pentacam-HR, Oculus, Germany) evaluation. Both SC and control groups were divided into two subgroups as dry eye (DE) (Schirmer test with topical anesthesia (STA) ˂5 mm) and without DE (STA ˃5 mm).

Results: Pachymetric measurements and mean corneal volume (CV) were significantly lower in the SC group than in the control group (p<0.001). Pachymetric measurements and CV of SC patients with DE were significantly lower than all the other subgroups. Control subgroups with or without DE were similar in pachymetric measurements and CV.

Conclusions: The results suggest that SC patients have thinner corneas compared with control subjects. Additionally, coexistence of DE seems to have an additional impact in the thinning of cornea in SC patients.

Keywords:

• Corneal thickness
• corneal volume
• dry eye
• inflammatory diseases
• Scheimpflug imaging
• scleroderma

AcknowledgEment

We are grateful to Dicle University DUBAP for their sponsorship for the English editing of this paper.

Declaration Of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.