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We studied the aging changes in corneal shape using corneal topography. Normal corneas (1,343) from 734 volunteers were examined by Topographic Modeling System-1 (TMS-1). All eyes were divided into eight groups according to age: (a) 80. The age-related changes in the averaged map of TMS-1 were evaluated. The findings noted in this map were confirmed by analyzing the data as well as by assessing the average-of-difference map. The averaged maps of subjects from 80 revealed a horizontal oval-shaped steep area, suggesting against-the-rule astigmatism. The average-of-difference map demonstrated a marked corneal steepening at the horizontal meridians. In the data analysis of the averaged map, the mean refractive powers of the cornea increased with age. Moreover, the refractive powers in the horizontal meridians exceeded those in the vertical meridians when they were in the 60s, which verified against-the-rule astigmatic shift. In conclusion, normal cornea becomes steeper and shifts from with-the-rule to against-the-rule astigmatism with age.
Hayashi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.