Comparison of intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness in non-glaucomatous North- East Indian tribals versus general Indians

Purpose: To compare the intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT) of non-glaucomatous North-East (NE) Indian tribals and general Indians.  Materials and methods: In a prospective, cross-sectional study, the IOP and CCT of non-glaucomatous NE Indian tribals (n = 50) and non-glaucomatous general Indians (n = 50) were compared. Glaucoma was ruled out by history, detailed ocular examinations, and investigations. Results: There was very good correlation between the CCT and IOP values of right and left eyes (p = 0.940 and 0.847, respectively). The difference in the IOP values in the two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.312 for Oculus Dexter [OD], p = 0.400 for Oculus Sinister [OS]). Similarly, the difference in the CCT values in the two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.736 for OD and 0.613 for OS). The mean CCT and IOP OD for the whole population was 530.50 ± 35.42 μm and 13.80 ± 2.760 mmHg, respectively. By linear regression analysis, the IOP OD of the whole population had good correlation with CCT OD of the whole population (adjusted r2 = 0.084, p = 0.002), but not with age (adjusted r2=0.000, p=0.314) and sex (adjusted r2 = 0.010, p = 0.163). Similarly, CCT OD for the whole population did not have good correlation with age (adjusted r2 = -0.009, p = 0.762) and sex (adjusted r2 = -0.007, p = 0.603). Conclusions: In this study of individuals with normal corneas and without glaucoma, no racial variation was found in the CCT and IOP values of the two groups. The IOP OD of whole population had good correlation with CCT, but not with age and sex. There was good correlation between OD and OS values of IOP and CCT.