Common Embryological Links to the Optic Pit and Anterior Segment Structures

Purpose. To analyze the anterior segment structures in patients with an optic disc pit to evaluate the common embryological links to the optic disc pit and anterior segment structures in these patients. Methods. Ten patients with a unilateral optic disc pit detected during routine examination of the posterior pole and 15 healthy subjects as a control group underwent anterior segment analysis with Pentacam (Oculus, Inc., Wetzlar, Germany). Anterior segment parameters were compared between the eyes with an optic disc pit and fellow eyes of the patients and between the right and the left eyes of the healthy subjects. Results. The anterior segment parameters of the eyes with an optic disc pit and fellow eyes of the patients were as follows, respectively: radius of the anterior corneal surface (7.68 +/- 0.28 and 7.71 +/- 0.28 mm), radius of the posterior corneal surface (6.36 +/- 0.28 and 6.43 +/- 0.28 mm), corneal thickness (532.40 +/- 31.32 and 530.20 +/- 28.51 mu m), corneal volume (58.86 +/- 3.72 and 58.42 +/- 3.37 mm(3)), anterior chamber depth (3.28 +/- 0.80 and 2.98 +/- 0.39 mm), anterior chamber volume (178.00 +/- 36.48 and 168.30 +/- 38.14 mm), anterior chamber angle (39.30 +/- 6.00 and 36.52 +/- 5.66 degrees), and pupil diameter (3.15 +/- 0.64 and 2.96 +/- 0.47 mm). Only the back radius of corneal curvature was found to be statistically significantly lower in eyes with an optic disc pit (p = 0.025). The interocular comparison of anterior segment parameters in the healthy subjects showed no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). Conclusions. The study demonstrates that those eyes with an optic disc pit have smaller back radius of corneal curvature compared with fellow eyes. Possibly, the embryological factors in the development of optic disc pit influence the development of cornea. (Optom Vis Sci 2010; 87: 585-587)