Purpose: To determine the relationship between central corneal thickness (CCT) and myopia among Saudi adults.
Methods: In a prospective study, the CCT of 982 myopic eyes and 158 emmetropic eyes as a control group was measured using ultrasound pachymetry at the Eye Consultants Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Result: The mean myopic spherical equivalent (SE) was -3.7 +/- 2.12 D, range -0.25 to -15.0 D.The mean CCT of the myopic group was 543.8 +/- 35.40 microm, while for the emmetropic group it was 545.7 +/- 27.6 microm. The difference in mean CCT between the two groups was statistically insignificant (P = 0.5). There was no correlation between CCT and the degree of myopic spherical equivalent (r = -0.014, P = 0.939).
Conclusion: This clinical study showed that there was no difference in CCT between emmetropic and myopic eyes. CCT did not correlate with the degree of myopia. It seems that the central cornea is not significantly involved in the process of myopic progression.