[Central corneal thickness in black children examined under general anesthesia at the Yalgado Ouédraogo University Medical Center]. / Épaisseur cornéenne centrale chez les enfants mélanodermes examinés sous anesthésie générale au Centre hospitalier universitaire Yalgado Ouédraogo.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Central corneal thickness measurement permits an evaluation of physiological and pathological corneal changes. It allows for an intra-ocular pressure correction factor. Our purpose was to determine the mean central corneal thickness in children aged 0 to 72 months and to examine factors that might affect it. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional hospital study which took place from February to December 2019 in the ophthalmology service of YO University Medical Center. It included healthy eyes of children 0-72 months of age examined under general anesthesia. Ultrasonic pachymetry was used to measure the central corneal thickness. The studied variables were age, sex, CCT, corneal diameter, intraocular pressure, and cup/disc ratio. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-seven healthy eyes of 78 children 0-72 months of age were included. The mean age was 22 months. The overall mean CCT was 554.01±34.21µm. It was 556.58µm for children from 0 to 36 months of age and 536.12µm for subjects over 36 months. The mean CCT was 555.96±32.96µm in boys and 551.80±36.16µm in girls. In patients who underwent bilateral CCT measurement, the mean CCT was 554.74±35.67µm in the right eye and 549.76±24.08µm in the left eye. Lower IOP's were found in patients with thicker corneas (p=0.00). CONCLUSION: The CCT values for black children over 36 months of age was similar to the CCT in black adults.