Posters

Influence of pregnancy on corneal biomechanics: preliminary data

Poster Details

First Author: F.Hafezi SWITZERLAND

Co Author(s):    B. Martinez de Tejada   V. Strueven   F. Hoogewoud   D. Tabibian     

Abstract Details

Purpose:

There is increasing, but rather indiect clinical evidence that estrogen may alter corneal biomechanics during pregnancy.

Setting:

Dept. of Ophthalmology and Dept. of Obstretrics, Geneva UniversityHospitals, Geneva, Switzerland

Methods:

Prospective monocentric clinical study measuring biomechanical changes during and pregnancy. 20 women were recruited and followed during pregnancy and up to six months after pregnancy with slit-lamp examination, blood samples, Ocular response Analyzer (ORA, Reichert technologies, Buffalo, NY, USA) and Scheimpflug imaging (Pentacam, Oculus, Optikgeräte, Wetzlar, Germany).

Results:

Preliminary results obtained during pregnancy show that the following parameters increase significantly in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy: corneal hysteresis (p=0.007), corneal compensated intra-ocular pressure (IOP) (p<0.001), and Goldmann-corrected IOP (p=0.008).

Conclusions:

Pregnancy has a direct effect on corneal hysteresis and intraocular pressure. Our results indicate that changes in estrogens levels may modulate the biomechanical behaviour of the human cornea during pregnancy. Young female patients of childbearing age with a biomechanically suspect cornea in the absence of clinical signs of keratectasia should be followed carefully and observed for signs of corneal decompensation. FINANCIAL INTEREST: NONE