Corneal diameters in infants born in two hospitals in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Objectives: To measure the horizontal corneal diameters in infants at birth and compare with values
reported in other studies.
Design: A cross-sectional hospital based study.
Subjects: All the healthy infants born within the period of one month in these hospitals were
eligible for enrolment into the study. Horizontal corneal diameter measurements were performed
with indirect caliper in both eyes of each of the 342 healthy full term infants and 25 preterm healthy
infants born in these two hospitals. These results were evaluated according to the age of the infants
Results: The corneal diameter in term infants was found to range from 9.00 mm to 12.50 mm during
the first week of life with a mean of 10.26 mm (SD ± 0.59 mm, n = 64). This is higher than what was
reported for Caucasian infants (P < 0.01). Mean horizontal corneal diameter in all male infants
aged 1-238 days was 11.06 mm (SD 0.75 mm, n = 187), slightly higher than 10.93 mm (SD 0.22 mm,
n = 154) in all females, though this difference was not statistically significant. Horizontal corneal
diameter increased progressively with age, from a mean value (SD) of 10.26 mm (0.72) to a mean
value (SD) of 12.0 mm at 34 weeks of age. There was no significant difference in the mean corneal
diameter of the right and left cornea. A few infants had corneal diameters of 12.50 mm and had no
congenital glaucoma. Mean corneal diameter in preterm infants less than 37 weeks of gestation
was 8.90 mm at birth (SD 1.25 mm, n = 25).
Conclusion: The horizontal diameter increased with age from birth to the 34 weeks of age. Changes
after this period were not studied. The values obtained in these African infants were slightly
higher than those reported from other populations.

The East African Medical Journal Vol. 83 (11) 2006: pp. 631-638