Printed in Great Britain A SIMPLE TECHNIQUE FOR MEASUREMENT OF CORNEAL THICKNESS

Abstract-- Measurement ofcorneal thickness has potential benefit both in the fitting of contact lenses and in monitoring any pathology that could affect corneal thickness. Corneal thickness measurement is undertaken using an accessory to the biomicroscope, the optical pachometer, orby means of expensive apparatus uch as the ultrasonic pachometer. There are other complex methods, such as laser Doppler interferometry, or ultrasonic rasters of the cornea. In this study, an easier and low cost method, based on the measurement of he optical section formed of the cornea by the biomicroscope illumination system, is proposed. The advantages ofthis new method are the simplicity of its experimental set-up which consists of a calibrated graticule in an eyepiece of the biomicroscope, the speed of the measurement which increases with practice and the low cost, due to the fact that the biomicroscope isstandard equipment in the ophthalmic onsulting room. KEY WORDS: corneal thickness, biomicroscope, pachometry, optical sectio