| Purpose: To investigate the anterior chamber depth and its associations in adults in rural Central India.
Methods: The population-based Central India Eye and Medical Study included 4711 subjects (aged 30+ years). The subjects underwent an ophthalmologic examination including sonographic measurement of anterior chamber depth (ACD) and gonioscopic and slit lamp assisted biomicroscopical (van Herick´s and Foster´s method) assessment of the chamber angle.
Results: After excluding pseudophakic or aphakic eyes, ACD measurements were available for 4615 (98.0%) subjects. Mean ACD was 3.22±0.34 mm. In multivariate analysis, a shallow chamber was associated with higher age (P<0.001), female gender (P<0.001), shorter body stature (P=0.003), hyperopia (P<0.001), thicker lens (P<0.001), and shorter axial length (P<0.001). The anterior chamber angle width was associated with younger age (P<0.001), male gender (P<0.001), lower hyperopic refractive error (P<0.001), higher axial length (P<0.001) and deeper anterior chamber (P<0.001). Anterior chamber depth was significantly associated with the anterior chamber angle width.
Conclusions: In the rural Central Indian population, a shallow anterior chamber was associated with higher age, female gender, short body stature, hyperopia, thick lens, and shorter axial length. As a corollary, the anterior chamber angle was narrower in elderly female hyperopic subjects with a short axial length. Compared with population-based data from East Asia (China), the anterior chamber was markedly deeper in India. The data may be helpful to explain anatomic relationships of the anterior segment of the eye, to elucidate risk factors of angle-closure glaucoma, and to explain ethnic differences in the prevalence of angle-closure glaucoma. |
