The association between ocular biometric components and corneal aberrations in elderly

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the association between ocular biometric components and corneal aberrations in individuals aged 60 years and older. Methods: In a cross‐sectional study, multi‐stage cluster sampling was performed in Tehran, the capital of Iran. After selecting the samples, all study participants underwent ophthalmic examinations including visual acuity, refraction, anterior and posterior segment examination using slit‐lamp biomicroscopy as well as corneal imaging by Pentacam AXL. The corneal aberrations were measured for a sub‐sample. Results: This report analysed 644 eyes of 415 individuals after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of these, 236 (56.9%) were females. The mean age of participants was 66.36 ± 4.70 years (range: 60–79 years). According to the generalized estimation equation (GEE), the root mean square (RMS) of higher‐order aberrations (HOA) was related to age (β = 0.081, p = 0.002), crystalline lens thickness (β = 0.08, p < 0.001), and corneal diameter (β = −0.04, p = 0.014). The RMS of total Coma aberration was directly related to the intraocular ocular pressure (β = 0.001, p = 0.044), female sex (β = 0.02, p = 0.05), and crystalline lens thickness (β = 0.06, p < 0.001). There was a direct relationship between the RMS of third‐ and fourth‐order HOAs and crystalline lens thickness (p < 0.001). Spherical aberration was directly related to the male sex (β = −0.02, p = 0.004), axial length (β = 0.05, p < 0.001), central corneal thickness (β = 0.001, p = 0.025), and inversely related to anterior chamber depth (β = −0.07, p = 0.031) and crystalline lens thickness (β = −0.25, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that ocular biometric components are related to corneal aberrations in the elderly. It is necessary to pay attention to this finding in the clinical affairs of the elderly.