Purpose
This study intends to compare the characteristic distributive epithelial pattern by
Fourier-domain anterior segment-optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) corneal
mapping between keratoconic and normal eyes.
Patients and methods
This prospective case–control study included 51 participants who were divided into
two groups: study group A (formed of 50 eyes of 26 keratoconic participants) and
control group B (50 eyes of 25 healthy controls of matched age and sex with group
A). Maps of corneal epithelial statistics within central 5 mm [S: 2–5 mm (superior), I:
2–5 mm (inferior), minimum, maximum, SD (topographic variability),
minimum−maximum], and the total corneal pachymetry maps were assessed by
the Fourier-domain AS-OCT system and imaged by Scheimpflug imaging corneal
topography for both groups.
Results
For group A of keratoconic corneas, the attained results are as follows: the mean of
epithelial thickness at the center was 50.1±7.98 μm, superior 56.01±6.98 μm,
inferior 48.73±5.97 μm, minimum 39.95±9.11 μm, maximum 62.92±8.85 μm,
minimum−maximum −22.01±10.91 μm, and topographic variability 6.9±4.2 μm.
For group B of healthy control eyes, the mean of epithelial thickness at the
center was 52.71±3.71 μm, superior 52.29±3.32 μm, inferior 53.42±3.11 μm,
minimum 48.89±3.71 μm, maximum 55.92±3.47 μm, minimum−maximum −6.3
±3.51 μm, and topographic variability 1.53±0.82 μm. All variables of epithelial
thickness between the two groups are significant (P