Increased Central Corneal Thickness in Children With Cerebral Palsy

PURPOSE: To evaluate central corneal thickness (CCT) values in children with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS: Sixty-seven children with CP and 58 healthy control children (125 children total) were enrolled into the study. The CCT value was measured by ultrasound pachymetry. The consecutive measurements were taken from the center of the cornea of each eye. RESULTS: In the CP group, the mean CCT value was 568.46 +/- 31.94 microm in the right eye and 568.01 +/- 32.50 microm in the left eye. In the control group, the mean CCT value was 549.53 +/- 26.16 microm in the right eye and 549.62 +/- 27.58 microm in the left eye. The CCT value was significantly higher in the CP group than in the control group for both eyes (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the right and left eyes of children with CP and intellectual disability (ID) and those with CP and no ID (P = 0.344 and 0.076, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Children with CP had an increased CCT compared with healthy control subjects. There was however no significant difference in CCT values between the children with and without ID in our CP group.