Evaluation of corneal morphology among newly detected patients with primary open angle glaucoma

Introduction: Glaucoma is an insidious blinding disease that may present in a variety of clinical scenarios. While Intraocular pressure is a major risk factor in its pathophysiology, patients have the disease without any documented elevation in pressure. To avoid missing a diagnosis of glaucoma, a thorough and careful evaluation of all the structural and functional components involved in glaucoma, should be performed. Although, most studies done so far have only focused on the Endothelial cell density among glaucoma patients, we highlighted its importance in the newly detected glaucoma patients.Materials and methods: The present prospective case control study was conducted at Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center between June 2019 to August 2019. Study subjects included cases (subjects) who are newly detected primary open glaucomatous patients and controls as healthy subjects.Results: During the period of study, 60 newly diagnosed primary open angle glaucoma's and 80 controls presented to us. The age of our patients varied from 21 to 60. In our study we found that there was endothelial cell loss among the case groups with 11.66% in newly detected cases of glaucoma. As the disease progressed, we saw a significant difference between the two study groups (glaucoma suspects and newly detected cases of glaucoma) with respect to mean Corrected Intraocular Pressure (c IOP), Cup Disc Ratio (CDR), Central Corneal Thickness (CCT). cIOP and CDR are indirectly proportional Endothelial Cell Density (ECD) whereas, CCT is directly proportional to ECD. On correlating the above finding, we saw statistical significance between reducing corneal ECD and increased central corneal thickness with larger CDR newly detected glaucoma patients.Conclusion: There is an association between ECD and mean IOP in newly detected cases of primary glaucoma and glaucoma suspect. With increase in IOP there is loss of endothelial cells. Also There is a correlation between reducing corneal ECD and minimal changes in central corneal thickness with and larger CDR, newly detected glaucoma patients. Corneal ECD and CCT can be used as predictable risk factors among glaucoma suspects.