A Prospective Trial Determining the Relationship between Corneal Hysteresis, Corneal Corrected Intraocular Pressure, and Optical Coherence Tomography Parameters in Open Angle Glaucoma Suspects

Background: Glaucoma has been associated with low corneal hysteresis, a characteristic that may provide additional information in identifying those who are considered glaucoma suspects. The current study aimed to determine the relationship between corneal hysteresis, corneal compensated intraocular pressure, and GCC analysis in patients who are labeled clinically as open angle glaucoma suspects. Methods: Participants were categorized into 2 groups, control (n = 14) or suspect (n = 27), based on clinical examination. Corneal hysteresis and optical coherence tomography were performed and analyzed for any correlation between these two groups. Results: Correlations between corneal hysteresis and parapapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness or corneal hysteresis and ganglion cell complex thickness in the macula were weak to moderate and ranged from r = -0.340 to r = 0.316. The correlations between corneal compensated intraocular pressure and parapapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness or corneal compensated intraocular pressure and ganglion cell complex thickness were also weak to moderate and ranged from r = -0.489 to r = 0.396. Conclusion: In the current study, corneal hysteresis and corneal compensated intraocular pressure did not provide a definitive relationship when trying to identify patients as glaucoma suspects. The relationships between corneal hysteresis and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness or corneal hysteresis and ganglion cell complex thickness were weak to moderate. The weak to moderate correlation was consistent even when considering retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell complex global indices as well as the individual clock hours for both measurements.