Slit-scan tomography evaluation of the anterior chamber and corneal configurations at different ages.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the aqueous humour and corneal volumes, their correlations to age, sex and refractive status, and their changes with age. METHODS: A total of 153 eyes of 153 healthy volunteers and 58 eyes of 58 patients planned for cataract surgery were examined with Orbscan II slit-scan tomography and the autorefractometer-keratometer. In 16 eyes of 16 volunteers, the same examinations were performed twice with a 4-year interval. Anterior chamber volumes were calculated with a 3-dimensional mapping method, corneal volumes were calculated, and multiple refraction and corneal/anterior chamber configuration variables were registered. RESULTS: The aqueous humour volume is inversely correlated to the age of the individual (r = - 0.22, p = 0.001), with an average decrease of 1.4 +/- 2.6 microl per year on longitudinal follow-up (p = 0.042). Specifically, the posterior part of the anterior chamber undergoes a pronounced reduction in volume with time, whereas the volume of the anterior part increases slightly with time. Increasing steepness and peripheral thinning of the cornea (p = 0.034), and a reduction in corneal volume (p = 0.037) were also seen with increasing age. Males had less steeply curved corneas and higher aqueous humour volumes than females. CONCLUSION: The anterior segment of the eye undergoes continuous alterations with age, which differ significantly between the genders. These normal differences and alterations may be of importance in the planning of refractive procedures, and in the evaluation of disease processes.