Comparison of intraocular pressure and central cornea thickness values in obese, overweight and healthy children volunteers

Inactivity and alteration of eating habits of children cause obesity prevalence increment. Recently, the Covid-19 pandemic quarantine has also contributed to this situation. There are limited number of publications showing that obesity affects intraocular pressure (IOP) in children. In this prospective controlled study we aimed to compare central corneal thickness (CCT) and IOP measurements in groups classified as normal, overweight and obese among pediatric patients admitted to our clinic between March 2020 and July 2020. Approval was obtained from Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine Non-Invasive Ethics Committee for the study. (Protocol No: 2020/1178) The best corrected visual acuity, covering tests, eye movements, and anterior and posterior segment examinations were performed in normal, overweight and obese children whose age range was 6-18 years and classified according to body mass index percentile (BMIP) values. Children with systemic or ocular diseases that would cause an increase in IOP and children with corneal pathologies were excluded from the study. IOP values were measured with non-contact tonometer (NCT) and CCT values with optical coherence tomography. 146 eyes of 73 patients (43 males, 30 females) were evaluated within the scope of the study. When all groups are examined in terms of IOP; The mean IOP was 19.50 ± 4.15mmHg in the obese group (n = 60), 16.50 ± 3.10mmHg in the overweight (n = 24), and 15 ± 2.89mmHg in the control group (n = 62) (p <0.001). When girls were evaluated as a separate group, it was observed that the mean IOP measurements (20 ± 3.82 mmHg) in the obese group were statistically significantly higher than the normal group (15 ± 2.50 mmHg) (p <0.01). As a result of the categorical regression analysis, it was seen that BMIP and age had a significant effect on the IOP variable (p = 0.048 and p = 0.025). One standard deviation (%1) increase in the BMIP variable caused an increase of 0.175 mmHg standard deviations in IOP, and an increase of 0.187 mmHg standard deviations in IOP in the age variable. In our study, IOP values measured by NCT were found to be higher in obese children compared to normal and overweight children, especially in girls. We think that IOP measurements should be carefully evaluated in obese children, as the possible increase in the amount of intraorbital fat in obesity may cause an increase in IOP with high episcleral venous pressure and impairment of ocular perfusion. Key Words: Obesity, Intraocular Pressure, Central Corneal Thickness, Body Mass İndex e-mail: furkanvrd@gmail.com