CORNEAL THICKNESS: I. Age Variation, Sex Difference and Oculometric Correlations

An oculometric survey was performed in a Greenland Eskimo population, covering 98% of selected age groups. From this sample 839 persons without corneal abnormalities, aged 7–89 years, formed the basis of a central corneal thickness (CT) study. A sample of 98 Danes in Greenland was measured for comparison. Using Haag Streit 900 pachymeter No. I, the average of three readings from both eyes was taken to represent the individuals. In Eskimos a Gaussian distribution of CT values was found with mean and SD: 0.518 + 0.032 mm in males and 0.529 + 0.029 mm in females. A significant corneal thinning with age was seen, predominantly in males (0.0007 mm decrease per year). Thus in adults an increasingly significant sex difference was observed (0.019 mm above the age of 40), while boys and girls differed only little (0.005 mm). A subsample with primary angle‐closure glaucoma showed an insignificant CT excess. The Danes showed a corresponding thinning with age although not significant. A highly significant ethnic difference was found, but only in men (Eskimos 0.024 mm below Danes). In a subsample of 325 adult Eskimos oculometric correlations were studied. Between CT and refractive error (r = +0.12) as well as CT and anterior chamber depth (r = ‐0.12) just significant correlations were found ( P < 0.05). Other relationships showed weaker correlations.