Dry Eye, Meibography And Corneal Endothelial Features In Acromegaly

To evaluate ocular surface and corneal endothelium in patients with acromegaly by using specular microscopy.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Izmir, Turkey.

Fifteen right eyes of acromegaly patients (Group 1) and 20 right eyes of age and gender matched healthy volunteers were enrolled to the ongoing study. Specular microscopy was performed to evaluate corneal endothelium and central corneal thickness. Ocular surface was evaluated with Schirmer 1 test, tear film break-up time (t-BUT) and OSDI scores. Slit lamp biomicroscope with infrared filter was used to evaluate upper and lower eyelid Meibomian gland dysfunction.

The mean age of the participants were 39±1.1 (25-46), 41±1.9 (20-50), respectively. Any statistically significant relationship was not found between groups related to cell density, coefficient of variation in cell density, hexagonal cell percentage, mean cell area, and central corneal thickness. However, mean Schirmer 1 and t-BUT scores were lower and OSDI score was significantly higher in Group 1 (p 0.001, 0.002,0.004, respectively) when compared to Group 2. Also, upper, and lower meiboscores were significantly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p 0.03, 0.03, respectively).

Excessive secretion of growth hormone may contribute to the pathophysiology of dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction. Evaluation of Schirmer 1, t-BUT, OSDI scores and meibom glands among acromegaly patients revealed significant differences compared to healthy volunteers. However, corneal specular parameters showed no statistical difference. Future studies with larger number of patients are needed for investigating dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction among acromegaly patients.