Assessment of the corneal biomechanical features of granular corneal dystrophy type 2 using dynamic ultra-high-speed Scheimpflug imaging.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the corneal biomechanical features of eyes with granular corneal dystrophy type 2 (GCD2) by analyzing corneal biomechanical indices obtained using a Corvis ST (CST) dynamic ultra-high-speed Scheimpflug imaging device.

METHODS: In this retrospective case-control study, 35 CST parameters were compared in normal eyes (control) and eyes of patients with GCD2 treated at Osaka University Hospital, Osaka, Japan. The parameters included the Corvis Biomechanical Index (CBI), which is important in differentiating eyes with keratoconus from normal eyes. We measured the deposition rates of lesions in the central 7-mm region of the eye and assessed the correlation between the deposition rate and the CBI.

RESULTS: Twenty-one eyes with GCD2 and 23 control eyes were analyzed. Eyes with GCD2 showed significantly less corneal stiffness in 15 CST parameters than did control eyes. In particular, the CBI was remarkably higher in eyes with GCD2 than in control eyes (P = 0.000006). Additionally, the deposition rate and the CBI were positively correlated.

CONCLUSIONS: GCD2 eyes had softer corneas than did control eyes in most biomechanical CST parameters, and one of the parameters (the CBI) was linked to the rate of deposited lesions. Since IOP may be underestimated in GCD2 eyes, management should be especially careful in GCD2 cases complicated by glaucoma.