Effect of congenital blepharoptosis on corneal biomechanical properties and changes after ptosis surgery

Abstract

Objectives: We studied the difference in the corneal biomechanical parameters of ptotic and fellow eyes in patients with congenital blepharoptosis. The correlations between corneal biomechanical parameters and demographic or ocular parameters, and the changes after surgery were also researched.

Methods: The corneal biomechanical parameters were measured by Corvis ST tonometry. The central corneal thickness (CCT), axial length (AL) and keratometry measurements were performed with LenStar LS900, and intraocular pressure (IOP) by non-contact applanation tonometry. The parameters were evaluated for the effect of ptosis and the relationship of corneal biomechanical parameters. These examinations were repeated 6 months after blepharoptosis surgery.

Results: Twenty-nine patients were enroled. The Corvis ST parameters (Deformation amplitude [DA], A1 times, and A1 velocity), CCT, IOP with NCT, IOP with corrected, differed significantly between ptotic and fellow eyes. CCT was significantly positively correlated with Length A1 and IOP with Corvis, and negatively correlated with IOP corrected by Corvis of the ptotic eyes. The same tendency was found in the fellow eyes. Six months after the ptosis surgery, the differences in corneal biomechanics parameters between ptotic eyes and fellow eyes were not significantly changed.

Conclusions: Congenital blepharoptosis causes significant corneal biomechanical changes measured by Corvis ST. The ptotic eyes had thicker and less deformable corneas. The differences in corneal biomechanics between ptotic eyes and fellow eyes were mostly related to CCT changes. Six months after surgery, these differences in corneal biomechanics did not change significantly.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1

Diagram of corneal response parameters on the images from the corneal visualization Scheimpflug technology. The top four figures are the four statuses: the initial status (a), the applanation 1 (A1) (b), the highest concavity (HC) (c), and the applanation 2 (A2) (d). The underlying diagram is the automatically measured corneal biomechanical property parameters (e)