Preoperative central corneal thickness in eyes with pediatric cataract versus normal fellow eyes

To compare the preoperative central corneal thickness (CCT) in eyes with unilateral cataract with their normal fellow eyes in the pediatric population.A retrospective chart review was conducted using the STORM Kids cataract database. Eyes with traumatic cataract, previous surgery or therapeutic manipulation, or age >18 years were excluded. Only eyes with a normal fellow eye were included. The intraocular pressure, age at time of surgery, race, sex, and type of cataract were also extracted from the record.A total of 70 eyes with unilateral cataract and 70 fellow normal eyes met inclusion criteria. The mean age at the time of surgery was 3.35 years (range, 0.08-15.05). The mean preoperative CCT in the operated eyes was 577 ± 58 μm (range, 464-898 μm). The mean preoperative CCT in fellow eyes was 570 ± 35 μm (range, 485-643 μm). There was no statistically significant difference between the preoperative CCT in cataract eyes versus unaffected fellow eyes (P = 0.183). When stratified by age, the difference in the CCT between cataract and fellow eyes was greatest in the <1 year age group, but was not statistically significant (P = 0.236). The mean preoperative corneal diameter of operative eyes was 11.0 mm (range, 5.5-12.5 mm [n = 68]). The mean preoperative IOP was 15.1 mm Hg (n = 66).In our study cohort, there was no significant difference in mean preoperative CCT between unilateral pediatric cataract eyes and unaffected fellow eyes.