Detailed Distribution of Corneal Epithelial Thickness and Correlated Characteristics Measured with SD-OCT in Myopic Eyes.

PURPOSE: To investigate the detailed distribution of corneal epithelial thickness in single sectors and its correlated characteristics in myopic eyes.

METHODS: SD-OCT was used to measure the corneal epithelial thickness distribution profile. Differences of corneal epithelial thickness between different parameters and some correlations of characteristics were calculated.

RESULTS: The thickest and thinnest part of epithelium were found at the nasal-inferior sector (P < 0.05) and at the superior side (P < 0.05). respectively. Subjects in the low and moderate myopia groups have thicker epithelial thickness than those in the high myopia group (P < 0.05). Epithelial thickness was 1.39 μm thicker in male subjects than in female subjects (P < 0.001). There was a slight negative correlation between corneal epithelial thickness and age (r = -0.13, P = 0.042). Weak positive correlations were found between corneal epithelial thickness and corneal thickness (r = 0.148, P = 0.031). No correlations were found between corneal epithelial thickness, astigmatism axis, corneal front curvature, and IOP.

CONCLUSIONS: The epithelial thickness is not evenly distributed across the cornea. The thickest location of the corneal epithelium is at the nasal-inferior sector. People with high myopia tend to have thinner corneal epithelium than low-moderate myopic patients. The corneal epithelial thickness is likely to be affected by some parameters, such as age, gender, and corneal thickness.