Evidence for a Relative Thinning of the Peripheral Cornea with Age in White European Subjects

Abstract

The results of this study provide evidence that comparing relative thicknesses emphasizes any age-related pachymetry differences and confirmed substantial age-related thinning of the peripheral cornea in healthy white European individuals. These findings should be considered in assessments of refractive surgery patients.

Birefringence of the central cornea in children assessed with scanning laser polarimetry

“…43,47 Only little or no further change in central corneal thickness is expected thereafter. 49,50 This is in agreement with Lagrèze's results showing that corneal diameter reaches a plateau at approximately two years of age. 51 Decrease in central corneal thickness is associated with increase of corneal diameter occurring with the general growth of the eye.…”

Analysis of age, refractive error and gender related changes of the cornea and the anterior segment of the eye with Scheimpflug imaging

“…Dubbelman et al observed that the asphericity of both the anterior and the posterior corneal surface changes significantly with age, which results in a slight peripheral thinning of the cornea [11]. A significant thinning of the corneal periphery and a decrease in the ratio of peripheral to central thickness in the elderly was also reported in previous studies [15,16]. Other ex-vivo studies have shown that the cornea stiffens with age as a result of ultra-structural changes in the collagen fibrils of the corneal stroma that may lead to corneal surface changes [17,18].…”

Evaluation of Central Corneal Thickness Measurement With RTVue Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in Normal Subjects

“…Although a few studies have reported that CCT changes with age, [41][42][43] this is unlikely to have affected the results of this study because the effect of age is likely to be the same on the CCT measurements by different instruments.…”