The biomechanical properties of the cornea and anterior segment parameters

BACKGROUND To investigate the biomechanical properties of the cornea measured with the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) and their association with the anterior segment parameters representing the geometric dimensions including the corneal volume and anterior chamber volume. METHODS A retrospective review of 1020 patients who visited the BGN Eye Clinic was done. The mean radius of the corneal curvature, corneal astigmatism, corneal volume, anterior chamber depth, and anterior chamber volume were measured with an anterior segment tomographer. The central corneal thickness (CCT) was measured with an ultrasonic pachymeter. The corneal diameter was measured with an Orbscan as White to White. Cornea hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), Goldmann correlated intraocular pressure (IOPg), and cornea-compensated IOP (IOPcc) were measured with an ORA. Multiple linear regression models were constructed with CH and CRF as the dependent variables and age, gender, and the anterior segment parameters as the covariates. RESULTS 958 eyes from 958 patients (mean age 26.7 years; male 43.4%) were included in this study after excluding some eyes according to the exclusion criteria. The mean CH and CRF were 10.1 and 9.9 mmHg, respectively. The mean IOPg and IOPcc were 14.8 and 15.8 mmHg. The multivariate analysis showed that CH was negatively associated with the mean radius of the cornea curvature (regression coefficient = -0.481, p = 0.023) and positively associated with CCT (regression coefficient = 0.015, p < 0.001) and corneal volume (regression coefficient =0.059, p = 0.014). The association between CH and the corneal diameter, anterior chamber depth, and anterior chamber volume were not statistically significant. The evaluation of CRF showed that CRF was negatively associated with the mean radius of the cornea curvature (regression coefficient = -0.540, p = 0.013), and positively associated with CCT (β = 0.026, p < 0.001). The association between CRF and the corneal diameter, corneal volume, anterior chamber depth, and anterior chamber volume were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION The CH was shown to be positively associated with the corneal volume and the association between CH and the anterior chamber volume were not significant. The associations of CRF with the corneal volume or anterior chamber volume were not significant.