Longitudinal Changes in Corneal Thickness over 8 Years: Findings from the National Institute for Longevity Sciences–Longitudinal Study of Aging Population-Based Cohort Study in Japan

IF 4.6 Q1 OPHTHALMOLOGY

Ophthalmology science Pub Date : 2025-06-19 DOI:10.1016/j.xops.2025.100860

Hideki Fukuoka MD, PhD , Chikako Tange PhD , Fujiko Ando MD, PhD , Hiroshi Shimokata MD, PhD , Yukiko Nishita PhD , Rei Otsuka PhD

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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate age-related changes in central corneal thickness (CCT) and investigate its relationship with other ocular parameters in community-dwelling Japanese adults through an 8-year longitudinal analysis.

Design

A population-based, prospective longitudinal cohort study with baseline measurements from 1997 to 2000 and follow-up from 2006 to 2008.

Subjects

A total of 631 community-dwelling Japanese adults aged 40 to 79 years (mean age: 55.7 ± 9.7 years) were enrolled from the National Institute for Longevity Sciences–Longitudinal Study of Aging. We excluded participants with corneal pathologies, contact lens use, glaucoma medication, or missing endothelial cell density measurements.

Methods

Central corneal thickness was measured using calibrated specular microscopy (SP-2000; Topcon Corporation) at 2 time points approximately 8 years apart. Secondary measurements included corneal endothelial cell density, coefficient of variation in cell size, and corneal curvature. Mixed-effects models analyzed CCT changes, adjusting for sex, season, corneal endothelial cell density, and systemic health factors.

Main Outcome Measures

Age-related changes in CCT, annual rate of CCT change across different age decades, and correlations between CCT changes and ocular/systemic parameters.

Results

At baseline, adjusted CCT measurements were 520.2 ± 2.1 (standard error [SE]) μm, 514.1 ± 2.2 μm, 518.0 ± 2.5 μm, and 514.7 ± 3.7 μm for participants in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, respectively. Longitudinal analysis revealed a significant increase in CCT over time across all age groups (β = 0.7; SE = 0.1; P < 0.001). The annual CCT increase showed age-dependent slowing: 0.68 ± 0.08 μm for 40s, 0.62 ± 0.08 μm for 50s, 0.46 ± 0.09 μm for 60s, and 0.20 ± 0.14 μm for 70s with a statistically significant difference between 40s and 70s groups (β = −0.5; SE = 0.2' P = 0.003).

Conclusions

This longitudinal analysis demonstrates that CCT increases over time in all age groups, with the rate of increase significantly slowing in older age groups. These findings contrast with previous cross-sectional studies suggesting CCT decreases with age, emphasizing the importance of longitudinal observations. These results have important implications for glaucoma diagnosis and refractive surgery safety evaluations in aging populations.

Financial Disclosure(s)

The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

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8年以上角膜厚度的纵向变化：来自日本国家长寿科学研究所-基于老龄化人群的纵向研究队列研究的发现

目的通过8年的纵向分析，评估日本社区成人角膜中央厚度（CCT）的年龄相关变化，并探讨其与其他眼部参数的关系。DesignA基于人群的前瞻性纵向队列研究，基线测量时间为1997 - 2000年，随访时间为2006 - 2008年。研究对象从日本国家长寿科学研究所-老龄化纵向研究中心招募了631名年龄在40至79岁之间的日本社区居民（平均年龄：55.7±9.7岁）。我们排除了有角膜病变、使用隐形眼镜、青光眼药物或缺少内皮细胞密度测量的参与者。方法采用校准镜面显微镜(SP-2000；Topcon公司)在两个时间点大约相隔8年。二次测量包括角膜内皮细胞密度、细胞大小变异系数和角膜曲率。混合效应模型分析了CCT的变化，调整了性别、季节、角膜内皮细胞密度和全身健康因素。CCT的年龄相关变化，不同年龄的CCT年变化率，以及CCT变化与眼/全身参数之间的相关性。结果40多岁、50多岁、60多岁和70多岁受试者的CCT基线值分别为520.2±2.1（标准误差[SE]） μm、514.1±2.2 μm、518.0±2.5 μm和514.7±3.7 μm。纵向分析显示，随着时间的推移，所有年龄组的CCT都显著增加(β = 0.7；Se = 0.1；P & lt;0.001)。CCT的年增长呈现出年龄依赖性，40岁组为0.68±0.08 μm， 50岁组为0.62±0.08 μm， 60岁组为0.46±0.09 μm， 70岁组为0.20±0.14 μm， 40岁组与70岁组差异有统计学意义(β = - 0.5；Se = 0.2, p = 0.003)。这项纵向分析表明，CCT在所有年龄组中都随时间增加，但在老年组中增加的速度明显放缓。这些发现与先前的横断面研究相反，表明CCT随着年龄的增长而减少，强调了纵向观察的重要性。这些结果对老年人青光眼的诊断和屈光手术安全性评价具有重要意义。财务披露作者在本文中讨论的任何材料中没有专有或商业利益。

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