Association Between Geriatric Assessment Scores and Corneal Biomechanical Parameters in Patients with Glaucoma.

Background/

Objectives

Multiple age-related systemic conditions, including frailty, cognitive impairment, and comorbid diseases, have been suggested to be associated with glaucoma. However, their relationship with corneal biomechanical properties in patients with glaucoma remains unclear.

Methods

This retrospective cross-sectional study included patients with glaucoma who attended the Department of Ophthalmology at Shimane University Hospital between May 2019 and August 2024. Corneal biomechanical parameters, including corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), corneal-compensated intraocular pressure (IOPcc), and Goldmann-correlated intraocular pressure (IOPg), were measured using the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA; Reichert Technologies, Depew, NY, USA). Geriatric assessments, including the Geriatric 8 (G8), Mini-Cog, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), were also evaluated. Associations between geriatric assessment measures and ocular parameters were examined using multivariable linear mixed-effects models adjusted for age, sex, medication score, and glaucoma subtype.

Results

A total of 280 patients (456 eyes) were included. The mean age was 70.2 ± 11.1 years, and 126 patients (45.0%) were women. In multivariable linear mixed-effects models, lower G8 scores were significantly associated with lower CRF (β = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.30), lower IOPcc (β = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.92), and lower IOPg (β = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.25 to 1.00). In contrast, no significant association was observed between G8 scores and CH (β = -0.02, 95% CI: -0.12 to 0.09). Neither Mini-Cog nor CCI was significantly associated with any ocular parameters.

Conclusions

In patients with glaucoma, frailty may be associated with corneal biomechanical properties, particularly CRF and intraocular pressure-related parameters.