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Anterior, posterior and biomechanical parameters of cornea during pregnancy in healthy eyes: a cohort study
  1. Mohammad Naderan1,
  2. Ali Jahanrad2
  1. 1 School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, The Islamic Republic of Iran
  2. 2 AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, The Islamic Republic of Iran
  1. Correspondence to Dr Mohammad Naderan, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417613151, The Islamic Republic of Iran; Moh{at}naderan.com

Abstract

Background To investigate the effect of pregnancy on anterior, posterior and biomechanical corneal parameters of healthy eyes.

Method In this prospective cohort study, 70 pregnant participants with clinically healthy eyes underwent corneal topographic imaging evaluation by Pentacam and biomechanical assessment by Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) before pregnancy, at the third trimester of pregnancy (34th week of pregnancy) and 12 months after delivery. The same number of age-matched non-pregnant females was evaluated at the corresponding appointments as the control group.

Results Assessment of the tomographic, topographic and ORA measurements before pregnancy, at the third trimester of pregnancy and 12 months post partum revealed no statistically significant changes in anterior and posterior corneal flat, steep and mean keratometry, anterior and posterior elevation measurements, central and thinnest corneal thickness, corneal hysteresis, corneal resistance factor and intraocular pressure measurements (p>0.05, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA)). All of the study parameters returned to their baseline levels 1 year after delivery. The ophthalmic parameters of the non-pregnant group remained significantly unchanged during the study period (p>0.05, all comparisons, repeated measures ANOVA). Moreover, no statistically significant differences were found between pregnant and non-pregnant groups in the second (34th week of pregnancy) and third (post partum) appointments (p>0.05, all comparisons, one-way ANOVA).

Conclusion Our findings may suggest a physiological nature for ocular changes during pregnancy that these changes return to baseline values after delivery. The differences between tomographic, topographic and biomechanical corneal parameters before pregnancy, during pregnancy and post partum were not statistically or clinically significant.

  • biomechanical factors
  • corneal hysteresis
  • corneal resistance factor
  • healthy eyes
  • pregnancy
  • topography

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Footnotes

  • Contributors MN has designed the study, analysed the data, interpreted the results, drafted and revised the paper and approved the final version of the manuscript. AJ gave the concept of the study, performed the procedures and data collection, interpreted the results, drafted and revised the paper and approved the final version of the manuscript.

  • Funding None declared.

  • Disclaimer This article has not been presented at a meeting or published or submitted for publication elsewhere. The authors take responsibility for all aspects of the reliability and freedom from bias of the data presented and their discussed interpretation.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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