Biomechanical Properties in Different Types of Thin Corneas in Menoufia Population

Background: To evaluate and compare corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistance factor (CRF) in normal thin (NT) healthy corneas with central corneal thickness (CCT) 470-500 µm with matched thickness in keratoconus suspect (KCS) and keratoconus (KC) and eyes. Methods: A total of 103 eyes in three groups were included prospectively: NT, KCS and KC groups based on clinical examination and pentacam findings. Corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistance factor (CRF) were measured by the ocular response analyzer (ORA). CCT ,CH and CRF were compared between the three groups and statistically analyzed by variance tests. Results: : The three groups consisted of 44 NT, 26 KCS, and 33 KC. The mean CH measured was 8.689 ± 1.775, 9.051 ± 1.1190 and 8.129 ± 0.8539 mmHg in NT, KCS and KC eyes, respectively. The mean CRF was 8.441 ± 1.663, 8.337 ± 1.114 and 7.2422 ± 1.3110 mmHg in NT, KCS and KC eyes, respectively. Within range of central corneal thickness (470 – 500 µm), only mean CRF was statistically significantly different between the NT and KC (P 0.05). Conclusions: : CRF only can be helpful in differentiating KC from NT eyes; KCS could not be predicted with either corneal biomechanical metrics. No benefit from CH in differentiating between the three study groups.