Intraocular Pressure, Central Corneal Thickness, and Prevalence of Open-Angle Glaucoma: The Los Angeles Latino Eye Study

Purpose To examine the relationship between the prevalence of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and intraocular pressure (IOP) and the impact of central corneal thickness (CCT) on this relationship. Design Population-based cross-sectional study. Methods The study cohort consisted of 5,970 participants from the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES) with no history of glaucoma treatment and with complete ophthalmic examination data. The relationship between the prevalence of OAG and IOP was contrasted across persons with CCT designated as thin, normal, or thick. Results Prevalence of OAG was exponentially related to IOP. When stratified by CCT, persons with thin CCT had a significantly higher prevalence of OAG than did those with normal or thick CCTs at all levels of IOP. Adjusting each IOP individually for CCT did not impact significantly the relationship between the prevalence of OAG and IOP. Conclusions These findings suggest that adjusting for the impact of CCT on IOP by correction algorithms is not necessary in a population based assessment of glaucoma prevalence; CCT, however, is an important independent risk factor for the prevalence of OAG.