ABSTRACT
Purpose: To evaluate the effect of systemically used anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) medication on the thickness of corneal epithelium and stroma in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Methods: A total of 125 eyes of 69 participants were included in this retrospective study of three groups: healthy participants (Group 1), AS patients receiving anti–TNF-α medication (Group 2), and AS patients receiving a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (Group 3).
Results: According to anterior segment optical coherence tomography, the mean thickness of the corneal epithelium was significantly thicker in Group 2 than in Group 3 (51.6 ± 3.2 µm versus 50.4 ± 3 µm, p = 0.01), as was that of the stroma (475 ± 33 µm versus 443 ± 29 µm, p = 0.002).
Conclusions: Anti–TNF-α medication and/or avoidance of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs could improve the thickness of both the corneal epithelium and stroma in AS patients.
DECLARATION OF INTEREST
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.