Evaluation of corneal layers and anterior sclera in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome

• Main Authors: Gökhan Pekel, Murat Taşçı, Alperen Bahar, Evre Pekel, Ebru Nevin Çetin, Çiğdem Martin, Veli Çobankara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Conselho Brasileiro de Oftalmologia 2019-04-01
• Series: Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia
• Subjects: Esclera; Síndrome de Sjogren-Larsson; Segmento anterior do olho; Tomografia de coerência óptica; Estudo comparativo
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-27492019005006101&lng=en&tlng=en

ABSTRACT Purpose: We aimed to compare the thickness of anterior sclera, corneal layers, and pre-ocular tear film between patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome and healthy individuals. Methods: Fifty-one patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome and 41 healthy control participants were recruited in this cross-sectional and comparative study. The thickness of the pre-ocular tear film, corneal epithelium, Bowman's layer, stroma, Descemet's membrane, and endothelium were measured on the corneal apex. Anterior scleral thickness was measured at distances of 1 mm and 3 mm from the limbus. The anterior segment module of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography was used to measure thicknesses of pre-ocular tear film, corneal layers, and anterior sclera. Results: Tear film thickness, Schirmer's test, and tear break up time values were significantly lower in the Sjögren's disease group than in the healthy controls (p<0.05). The thickness measurements of corneal layers and sclera were similar between the groups. Tear film thickness was moderately correlated with the Schirmer's test results (r=0.34, p=0.001), but there was no correlation between the Schirmer's test results and tear break up time (r=0.18, p=0.09). Conclusions: Pre-ocular tear film, as measured by anterior segment optical coherence tomography, was thinner in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome than in the healthy controls. The thicknesses of corneal layers and anterior sclera were similar between the groups.