How many children with large clear cornea do not have glaucoma?

Abstract

Purpose

A horizontal corneal diameter greater than 2 standard deviations from the mean (9.8 mm) or greater than 11 mm in term infants defines megalocornea (herein referred to as a large clear cornea). The aim of the current study was to report on the incidence and clinical characteristics of children presenting with large clear cornea that do not suffer glaucoma.

Methods

A retrospective chart review of children presenting with large clear cornea to the pediatric ophthalmology unit of the ophthalmology department of Alexandria Main University Hospital in the period from March 2011 to December 2020 was conducted. A large clear cornea was defined as a horizontal white-to-white corneal diameter (as measured by calipers) greater than 12 mm. Glaucoma was diagnosed according to the childhood glaucoma research network (CGRN) criteria and the axial length was used to filter out eyes with large clear corneas due to congenital high myopia.

Results

Out of 120 eyes of 91 (58 males) children a total of 76 eyes of 67 (41 males) children were diagnosed with glaucoma and 44 eyes of 24 (17 males) children (36.7%) did not suffer glaucoma. Out of these, 30 eyes were classified as myopia and 14 eyes as congenital megalocornea.

Conclusions

More than one third of eyes presenting with large clear corneas may not have glaucoma, and almost two thirds of these eyes (that are not suffering from glaucoma) demonstrate axial myopia.