Selda CELIK DULGER, Ertugrul KOYLU, Sezin ERTURK AKSAKAL, Sumeyra KOPRUBASI, Huseyin Levent KESKIN
Turkish Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - 2025;20(4):253-264
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of pregnancy on the corneal endothelium and epithelium, corneal topographic parameters, and anterior segment parameters. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 72 eyes of 72 healthy third-trimester pregnant women and 65 eyes of 65 age-matched healthy controls. Corneal topographic and anterior chamber parameters were obtained using a Placido-disc topographer (MS-39(R), CSO, Badia a Settimo-Scandicci, Florence, Italy) and the Lenstar LS900 (Haag-Streit AG, Switzerland). Corneal specular parameters were evaluated using the NIDEK CEM-530 (Hiroishi-cho, Gamagori, Japan). Results: No differences were observed in corneal topographic parameters or epithelial thickness between healthy third-trimester pregnant women and the control group. In the pregnant group, a significant negative correlation was observed between anterior maximum keratometry (Kmax) and minimum corneal thickness (minthick) (r = -0.284, p = 0.016; r = -0.295, p = 0.012, respectively). A significant positive correlation was found between anterior Kmax and anterior root mean square average (RMSA) (r = 0.258, p = 0.028). Endothelial cell density was lower in the pregnant group than in the control group (p = 0.018). When parameters were compared based on gravidity, a significant difference was found in the median coefficient of variation (p = 0.017). Conclusion: No significant differences were found in corneal topographic parameters, corneal epithelial thickness, or anterior chamber parameters between healthy third-trimester pregnant women and healthy controls. Pregnancy-related hormonal changes may induce alterations in corneal endothelial cells. Further studies are needed to determine whether these corneal specular changes are permanent.
