Alteration of anterior chamber in 81 glaucomatous eyes using Pentacam Scheimpflug system

AIM: To study the effects of gender, eye side and age on anterior chamber measurements; To compare the anterior chamber parameters between glaucoma and normal subjects. METHODS: A total of 169 patients (299 eyes), of which 122 normal subjects (218 eyes), 24 cases (39 eyes) with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) and 22 cases (42 eyes) with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) visiting our hospital from Apr. 2008 to Oct. 2008 were enrolled. The parameters measured by Pentacam between different sexes, eye sides, ages and different groups were compared. RESULTS: The mean central anterior chamber depth (CACD), anterior chamber volume (ACV) and anterior chamber angle (ACA) measurements of normal eyes were 2.82±0.43mm, 159.74±43.64mm3 and 35.47±7.92°. There were no significant differences between different eye sides. There was a negative correlation between age and anterior chamber parameters (all P <0.001); The mean CACD, ACV and ACA were 1.87±0.29mm, 82.00±24.17mm3 and 21.94±7.11° in PACG group, and 2.67±0.34mm, 147.24±43.40mm3 and 31.19±6.34° in POAG group. The differences between PACG and age-matched normal subjects were significant (all P <0.05), but there was no significant difference between POAG and age-matched normal subjects (P >0.05). CONCLUSION: CACD, ACV and ACA decrease mildly with age. Anterior chamber parameters of PACG are smaller than that of normal eyes, but there is no difference between POAG and normal eyes.